Fix You
by Brandi Golightly
Summary: After saving Natasha Romanoff from a playground bully, Clint becomes best friends with the little red head. Follows Romanoff and Barton through school from kindergarten to high school. Features characters from the movie-verse and some from the comic book-verse. AU.
1. First Day of School

Summary: After saving Natasha Romanoff from a playground bully, Clint becomes best friends with the little red head. Follows Romanoff and Barton through school from kindergarten to high school. Features characters from the movie-verse and some from the comic book-verse. Alternative Universe.

Disclaimer: I do not own _The Avengers_ or any of the characters. They belong to Marvel.

I also do not own the premise of this story. I sort of got the idea from a blog I follow on Tumblr called "ohshitviolatefanfiction." The idea of this story comes from the story called "You Saved Me" about Violet and Tate from _American Horror Story_. It's an AU story about Violet and Tate through the years, saving each other. I asked the author of the story if it was okay if I drew ideas from the story and she said it was fine as long as I gave her the credit. So, here's the credit. She is on Fanfiction; her pen name is Lovely Helena. I actually suggest you look her up and read "You Saved Me." That one is my favorite _American Horror Story_ fanfiction written by her. I highly suggest you read it.

I also want to point out that this is my first ever fanfiction! So please, go easy on me for the first few chapters. I'm new to this. I've never written a story that had characters that weren't created by me.

* * *

It was that time of year again, back to school and Clint Barton was waiting for the big yellow school bus at the end of his driveway with his brother, Barney. This year was going to be a great year. Not only did his mom buy him a new backpack (a Batman one), but he was going to be in the same first grade classroom as his best friends Thor Odinson and Steve Rogers. Not to mention that they were on the same bus route, so that just made the whole school year ten times better.

Clint kicked a stone and looked down the road for the big yellow bus. Sure enough, there it was as it came chugging up the hill. The school bus slowed down and stopped in front of the two boys and opened its doors to let them step on.

Thor and Steve were seated in the middle of the bus and greeted Clint with cheers. Clint took a seat next to Steve and the boys began to catch up. Though they had practically spent the entire summer together swimming at the local pool and playing on the playground, it had felt like an eternity since they'd been together.

Thor talked about his last few weeks of summer spent in Europe. His parents were very wealthy and were able to take Thor and his older brother, Loki, on expensive trips abroad. Steve shared that he had learned how to skateboard. Though he wasn't very good at it, Steve said that if he kept practicing, by next summer he'd be as good as the high schoolers in the skate park.

Clint and his brother also spent the summer learning archery. Their parents wanted them to do something constructive with their summer besides having play dates with friends so they enrolled them in archery classes at the local YMCA. After a couple of weeks, both Clint and Barney had gotten the hang of it and became the top two students in the class.

As the boys giggled and told more stories of their summer, the bus rolled to a stop to let another student board the bus. Clint wasn't paying attention until he saw the fiery red out of the corner of his eye. He had never seen this little girl before. Not in school, nor around town, so she must have been new to town in general. She was tiny and her curly, fiery red hair was gathered into two low pigtails on each side of her head. She was wearing a black pleated skirt that hung just above her knees and a red sweater. She hung her head low as she ducked into the first empty seat on the bus and settled in.

Normally first graders would think girls are icky and have cooties, but Clint Barton never found that to be a problem. Thor's older brother Loki was friends with two girls in his grade, Maria Hill and Pepper Potts, and whenever they would meet for play dates at the park, Maria and Pepper would be there as well with their parents. The fact that they were girls, nor the fact that they were a grade above them, never seemed to faze Clint, Thor, or Steve. It just seemed normal.

Once the red headed girl was out of sight, Clint returned to the conversation he was having with Thor and Steve until they reached Hamilton Elementary. When they stepped off of the bus, they were directed to the cafeteria where they were to be handed off to their teachers. Clint, Steve, and Thor had Mrs. Humphrey, an elderly woman who looked like she was going to keel over any second but she was the liveliest of the first grade teachers.

The morning went quicker than expected. Mrs. Humphrey showed her students around her classroom, pointing out the computers, the reading area, and the cubbies where they were to place their belongings. Halfway through the morning, Mrs. Humphrey provided them with pretzels and orange juice for a snack to hold them over until lunch time. After snack time, Mrs. Humphrey had them go around the room and introduce themselves and tell the class one thing that they did this summer.

By the time they finished, it was lunch time and Clint, Steve, and Thor couldn't be more excited. The first day of school was always the best day when it came to lunch in the cafeteria. The school was known for its strict "eat healthy" policy but they tended to break that rule on the first day of school, as well as the last full day of school as the end of the year before half days began. There was pizza, mozzarella sticks, and spaghetti and meatballs!

Once the boys each grabbed a tray full of food for themselves, they settled into their designated table with the rest of their classmates and began to chow down. Out of the corner of his eye, Clint could see the girl with the fiery red hair sitting all by herself at the end of the table that was designated for her class. Clint couldn't help but feel bad. The poor girl didn't seem to know anyone.

Clint was pulled out of his thoughts when Steve chucked a balled up napkin at his face and Clint laughed it off and returned to the camaraderie between him and his friends.

Following lunch, Clint and his classmates were led back to the classroom by Mrs. Humphrey for more first day of school business. After about another hour, the entire class was getting antsy and Mrs. Humphrey realized it was about time for recess.

Clint, Thor, and Steve took off for the swing set once they step foot outside. It was a rare occurrence to have three empty swings on the swing set, not mention three empty in a row! Clint, Thor, and Steve took their places and began to pump their legs and see who could gain the most momentum. It didn't take much time, but Thor had managed to beat both Steve and Clint. He always did somehow.

As they kept swinging back and forth and laughing, Clint saw her again. She was sitting on the edge of the playground, but she wasn't alone. Three boys surrounded her. One of them was pulling on her pigtails and another was kicking dirt in her direction. The largest boy seemed to be taunting and teasing her.

Clint stopped pumping his legs and let himself slow down gradually. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, or why he was doing it, but if this girl was new to the school, there was no need for her to be teased and taunted. Steve and Thor noticed Clint had slowed down and they did as well.

"What's going on Clint?" Steve asked.

"Do you see that girl over there?" Clint asked, pointing in the red head's direction.

"Are they teasing that poor girl?" Thor boomed.

"Looks like it," Clint said with a sigh.

"I think she's on our bus," Steve said.

Clint was taken aback. So he wasn't the only one who had noticed, though it wouldn't be hard to ignore her with bright red hair like that.

The boys watched as one of the bullies kicked dirt in her face, causing her to cough and rub her eyes. Clint could see that a couple of tear had slipped out, but she was trying her very hardest to hide them. Clint looked around and noticed that none of the teachers were paying attention. They were all gathered at a picnic table under a shady tree, probably gossiping about their summers.

_Not surprising_, Clint thought, _Whenever you need a teacher, they're not paying attention or not around_.

"Do you think we should do something?" Steve asked, still holding onto his swing for dear life so as not to lose it to another student desperate to swing.

Clint slid off of his swing and made a bee line for the three bullies and the red headed girl. He stomped over, created a cloud of dust around his legs. He could hear Steve and Thor's footsteps pounding into the playground woodchips, trying to catch up with him. Clint approached the bullies but waited to say something until Thor and Steve had caught up with him. There was no way he would be confident enough to do this alone.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Clint said to the bullies once he sensed Steve and Thor standing behind him.

The bullies immediately stopped taunting the girl and turned to Clint. They seemed caught off guard that someone had even noticed them teasing the girl, and they immediately took a step back.

Clint didn't want to fight. He just wanted to scare the boys off and force them to leave the girl alone. He had to admit it. He felt naked without a bow and arrow in his hands. Not that he wanted to cause harm to the bullies but if this resulted in a serious confrontation, Clint was sure that a bow and arrow would certainly scare them off for good.

"Oh yeah?" the largest boy said, puffing up his chest. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I could go and tell my teacher, but that would make me a tattle tale," Clint said. "I think I'm just going to tell you to leave this girl alone or you'll have to answer to us."

The bullies stood their ground. Maybe they were really going to have to go tell a teacher.

"So," Clint started, and turned to Thor, "I guess you should go tell Mrs. Humphrey then."

Thor nodded and started to head towards the teachers when the largest bully told him to stop. The ringleader beckoned to his cohorts to follow him, but not before one of them pulled the elastic band from the red head's hair, causing her hair to fall loose on one side.

When the bullies finally disappeared to entertain themselves elsewhere, Clint offered a hand to the red hand to help her off the ground. She graciously took it and he pulled her off the ground. She wiped away the stray tears on her face, smearing dirt onto her tear streaked face.

"Thanks," she mumbled, staring at the ground.

"No problem," Clint said. The red head seemed really shy. Either that, or she just didn't feel comfortable around other people, specifically boys.

"These are my friends, Steve and Thor," Clint said, hoping to ease the awkward situation. Steve waved and Thor practically yelled that it was nice to meet her.

"And I'm Clint," Clint said, pointing to himself. "What's your name?"

The red head wiped at her tear streaked face once again and looked up from the ground to Clint.

"Natasha," she mumbled.

"Natasha, it's nice to meet you," Clint said, offering his hand to her once again, but to shake it.

She hesitated at first but she finally cracked a small smile and took Clint's hand and shook it.


	2. Secret Santas and Valentines

**First off, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who added this story to their favorites and added me to their favorite authors. This is my very first fanfiction so it really means a lot.**

**Therefore, here is chapter 2. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Clint didn't see Natasha much following the playground bullies incident, with the exception of recess and the bus ride home. Every so often, Clint was nice enough to invite Natasha to swing on the swings with him and Thor and Steve, but she would always politely decline.

She would sit in the same spot every day at recess, right on the edge of the playground, in the shade of the trees. Clint couldn't help but feel bad, and Thor and Steve felt the same way. The poor girl had no friends and it was a shame to see her sitting all by herself at recess until the teachers called them back into their classrooms. From time to time, a little boy with unruly black hair would approach Natasha to see if she would like to play but she would decline his invite as well.

September melted into October and the weather started to get cooler. Clint, Thor, and Steve couldn't wait for Halloween. Clint, with his sudden fascination for archery, decided he was going to be Robin Hood. Thor was debating on being Hercules or Darth Vader. Steve was torn between Batman and Spider-Man.

Halloween came and went and Thanksgiving quickly approached. The students were given a five day weekend, much to Clint's delight. He couldn't wait for all of his family members to come over for Thanksgiving dinner so he could show them his archery skills.

When the students returned to school following Thanksgiving break, the principal called a school-wide assembly. As the students filed into the gymnasium, where most assemblies were held, Principal Walters took his place in front of the student body.

"Good morning students!" Principal Walters' voice boomed over the sound system.

"Good morning Principal Walters!" the students echoed.

"I hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving break and I hope you are excited to return to learning many magnificent things here at Hamilton Elementary," Principal Walters said.

"Now, as you all may know, Christmas is just around the corner and we would like to make these last few weeks of school before Christmas break as exciting as possible," Principal Walters continued. "So, without further ado, I am pleased to announce that we will be doing a school wide Secret Santa gift exchange!"

It was hard to garner the students' attentions following the announcement. Girls were shrieking with joy and boys were jumping up and down. Once the teachers and the principal had managed to calm everyone down, Principal Walters continued his announcement.

"Each class has been assigned another class to exchange gifts with. Following this assembly you will return to your classrooms to pick a name of a student whom you will be their Secret Santa.

"You will get them one gift per week. You can spend a lot of money, or no money at all, just as long as you get them a gift. The day before Christmas break, you will reveal yourselves and give out one final gift," Principal Walters explained.

The students were dismissed and Clint, Thor, and Steve followed Mrs. Humphrey back to their classroom. Once they were seated and calmed down from the assembly, Mrs. Humphrey pulled out a brown paper bag, no doubt containing the names of the students from the class they would be Secret Santas to.

Mrs. Humphrey announced that they would be Secret Santas to Mrs. Anthony's kindergarden class, and one by one they walked up to pick out a name from the brown paper bag. When it was finally Clint's turn, he reached into the bag, rustled around the bits of paper, and finally tore a piece out of the bag. He unfolded the paper and read the name to himself.

_Natasha Romanoff_.

He'd bet that bow and arrow set he asked Santa for Christmas that this was the same Natasha he saved from the playground bullies.

* * *

Clint wasn't sure what to get her. He didn't know her. His futile attempts to get her to play with him and his friends at recess never worked so he has never had a chance to get to know her. The only thing he knew about her was her name, and he only learned it because he saved her from some playground bullies.

He settled on giving her homemade chocolate chip cookies that he helped bake with his mother for the first gift, peppermints he bought from the local candy shop for the second gift, and some jingle bells he found at the craft store for the third gift.

However, he had no idea what he was going to get her for the big reveal that he was her Secret Santa. It wasn't until he started passing her in the hallway that he noticed that she still had only one hair tie. She either kept her hair down or it was tied up into a ponytail. He hasn't seen her in pigtails since that day on the playground. He wondered if she even had another hair tie.

It was settled. He would buy her all the hair ties he could afford. Pink ones, blue ones, ones with funky designs on them. He just hoped she'd like them.

The day of the Secret Santa reveal, Clint was extremely nervous. What if she didn't like them? What if she laughed?

_You're stupid Clint_, he thought. _Hair ties? What a ridiculous gift!_

Half of his class had revealed themselves until Clint had actually plucked up the courage to go next. He stood in front of the class while Mrs. Anthony encouraged Clint to reveal who he had been giving gifts to all this time.

"Ummm," he gulped. "Natasha Romanoff."

The class applauded as Natasha rose from her seat and walked to the front of the classroom to receive her final gift from Clint.

"Umm," he said. "I noticed you don't wear your hair in pigtails anymore and thought maybe it was because you didn't have another hair tie, so I got you these cool looking ones."

He handed her the package of hair ties, and indeed there were pink ones, blue ones, and ones with funky designs. He held his breath as he waited for a response.

"Thanks," she mumbled, looking down at her shoes. "Those kids took my hair tie on the first day of school when you scared them off."

"N-no problem," Clint stuttered. The class applauded once more. Natasha returned to her assigned seat in her classroom, while Clint returned to the back of the room with the rest of his classmates.

Clint watched as Thor and Steve followed him in their Secret Santa reveal. Thor was the Secret Santa to a tiny girl, much smaller than Natasha, with brown hair and brown eyes called Jane Foster, while Steve was the Secret Santa to a girl with curly brown hair named Peggy Carter. When all of the students had revealed themselves as Secret Santas, Mrs. Humphrey's students returned to the classroom and remained there until dismissal.

The bus was rowdier and louder than usual because the students were especially excited about Christmas break and the imminent arrival of Santa. Clint, Thor, and Steve were seated in their usual seats in the center of the bus when Natasha approached them. It was very out of character, seeing as she usually sat in the first empty seat closest to the front of the bus.

"H-hi Natasha," Clint stuttered when she approached the boys.

"Hey Natasha," Steve said.

"Greetings, Natasha!" Thor said.

"Hi," she said to the boys, and then turned to Clint. "I wanted to say thank you again for the hair ties. My parents can't afford much so it really means a lot."

"You're welcome," Clint said, and then cleared his throat. What he was about to ask her made him nervous.

"Would you like to sit with us today?" Clint asked, looking at Steve and Thor. They seemed to approve since they were nodding their heads.

"Ummm, okay," she said. Clint slid out of his seat, offering Natasha the seat by the window, and she slid right in. A couple minutes later, the bus rolled out of the parking lot and made its way through the winding roads to drop off the kids for Christmas break.

Clint, Steve, Thor, and Natasha joked around about teachers at school, and shared what they wanted the most for Christmas. Clint was excited to see if Santa would bring him that bow and arrow set. Steve wanted a shield so that when he played war with Clint and Thor, he would be protected. Thor wanted a red cape that would be equipped with magical flight capabilities.

"I want my parents to stop fighting," Natasha said, when the boys asked her what she wanted for Christmas.

Clint found it to be an unusual answer. The boys wondered if it was appropriate to ask why, but by the time they'd plucked up the courage to ask, the school bus had rolled to a stop in front of her house and she scooted out of the seat, walked down the aisle, and bounded down the bus steps.

* * *

Christmas break came and went, and the month of January went by in a blur. Before they knew it, it was the week of Valentine's Day. Clint and Natasha had become fast friends. Over Christmas break, Clint had managed to convince his mom to set up a play date for him and Natasha, and so, a couple days after Christmas, Natasha came over for a couple of hours.

They played Hide and Seek. They made a snowman from the freshly fallen snow the town had received the night before. They had a snowball fight, and when they had tired themselves out, Clint's mom prepared them hot chocolate and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

Since Valentine's Day was coming up, Clint wanted to make her the best valentine anyone has ever gotten. He wasn't very artistic so he wasn't sure how he was going to conquer this task.

During free time the day before Valentine's Day, Clint procured a piece of pink construction paper and folded it in half. He figured stick figures would have to suffice when it came to drawing people, but he would just hope the message he was trying to convey would come across clearly.

After several pieces of construction paper and broken pencil tips, Clint had the perfect valentine for Natasha. _Robin Hood and Cupid got nothing on me_, the card read on the front with a picture of a stick-figured Clint holding a bow and arrow aimed right at Natasha. The real task, though, was how would he slip it into her cubby in her classroom? He realized that the perfect time would be when Mrs. Humphrey's class was headed to art class and Mrs. Anthony's class was headed to music class. If necessary, Thor and Steve could manage a distraction.

As they were walking past Mrs. Anthony's classroom, Clint saw it was empty and it was now or never. He slipped out of the single file line and slunk into the classroom. He searched the cubbies for her name. Lo and behold, there it was, labeled in perfect penmanship on a pink piece of paper. Clint slid the card in her cubby and quickly slipped out of the room before Mrs. Humphrey noticed he was missing from the class.

Art class passed by in a blur. He was wondering if Natasha would like the card. Would she think it's funny? Would she thank him? He was pondering so many thoughts that he wasn't even paying attention when he reached across the table him, Steve, and Thor were seated at and knocked over a bottle of blue paint.

They returned to their classroom after about a half hour of playing with paint and clay and stayed there until dismissal. As Clint packed up his things, he wondered if Natasha would say anything about the card on the bus, but she never did. Clint got concerned that she never got it. Maybe he had put it in the wrong cubby by mistake. The next day at school, a certain piece of paper made its appearance in Clint's cubby following gym class.

It read: _Two can play the secret Valentine game, Clint._ He didn't need a signature or a name to know who it was. That Natasha Romanoff was a sneaky one.

* * *

As February came and went and the weather started to warm up, the students at Hamilton Elementary became antsy as summer drew closer and closer. Before they knew it, it was the last day of school and they were headed home on the school buses for three months of pure relaxation.

Thor was discussing his parents' plans to send him and his brother to relatives in Greece for a couple of weeks in July. Steve was blabbing about his desire to visit Wildwood, New Jersey and experience the famed boardwalk. While Thor and Steve discussed their adventurous plans, Clint and Natasha sat in their seat discussing their plans to camp in Clint's backyard and roast marshmallows and hot dogs by a campfire.

Sure enough, the red head and the archer were best friends.

* * *

**Once again, thank you so much to everyone who has read this story. I really hope you'll stick around for what else I have in store. I know this chapter moved kind of quickly. I'm sorry. I'm trying to get as much in when they're little but also move it along so I can spend more time on when they're in high school. I have a lot of ideas when it comes to Clint and Natasha in high school.**

**And, I'm really sorry to do this to you guys but I have no idea when I'll be able to update the story again. I'm finishing up a summer class so I have to study for the final, as well as write 10 journal entries. Add work everyday between now and Sunday on top of that. I also have to fit in going to see _Prometheus_ with my dad on Saturday morning, and then _True Blood_ premieres Sunday night! Phew! I'll try to put up the next chapter as soon as possible but I'm just giving you guys a heads up that it might be a while.**

**Anyways, thanks again for reading and please review! I'd love to know what you guys think!**


	3. Separation Anxiety

**Surprise! I managed to get my assignment done early so here's a treat for you guys! Behold, chapter 3! I'm probably going to fail my final exam tomorrow but whatever. Here it is!**

* * *

Over the years, Clint and Natasha grew closer. Clint even had a tendency to neglect his friendship with Thor and Steve and spend more time with Natasha. This would often lead to confrontation between Thor, Steve, and Clint, but they would quickly forgive and forget and their friendship would be back to normal.

It wasn't until Clint, Steve, and Thor were in fourth grade and Natasha was in third grade that they realized they would be separated for the first time the following year. After fourth grade, Clint, Steve, and Thor would move on to bigger and better things in fifth grade at Stroudsburg Middle School, the second school in the district which was home to grades five through eight. Clint felt terrible about leaving Natasha behind but he figured they'd be reunited in school within another year when she moved up to fifth grade. Besides, it's not like they wouldn't see each other anyways. They had play dates practically every weekend!

Thor and Steve weren't particularly pleased with leaving the school after fourth grade either. They'd also come to form a good friendship with Natasha. You don't just save a girl from playground bullies and not become friends with her.

Thor and Steve, as well as Clint, had also become friends with Natasha's classmates, Jane and Peggy. However, to say they had become friends with them would an understatement. Thor and Steve were practically harboring minor crushes on Jane and Peggy respectively. So much so that Thor was teased by Clint and Steve over his crush on Jane.

"Thor and Jane, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Steve and Clint chanted one day on the playground. "First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes Jane with a baby carriage!"

"Stop, she'll hear you!" Thor hissed, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

It was too late. Jane was sitting under the shade with Peggy and Natasha, giggling over the boys' silliness. Thor thought he was in the clear. That was until she got up and made her way over to the boys who were standing under the swirly slide.

"Hi Thor," she said.

"Hello Jane," Thor said calmly. For someone who got really embarrassed around his friends, he was very composed when it came to talking to Jane.

"My mom and I were planning on getting some ice cream from Cherry Top after school, and she said I could bring a friend. Would you like to come?" Jane asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, sure. That would be cool," Thor said nonchalantly.

"Okay, great!" Jane said, and what she did next caught Thor completely off-guard. Jane leaned in and pecked Thor right on the cheek. She leaned back, squealed, and ran off to rejoin Peggy and Natasha underneath the shade.

"Uh oh," Thor said goofily, swaying back and forth as if he was about to faint. "I'm in love."

Clint and Steve burst into laughter as Thor turned a bright shade of red.

"We're 10-years-old Thor, we don't know what love is!" Steve said, clutching his side from laughter.

"Nuh-uh, Clint knows exactly what love is! He's been in love with Natasha since we saved her from those bullies!" Thor said, pointing a finger at Clint.

"Am not!" Clint retorted.

"Are too!"

The boys continued to argue back and forth until they were called back inside the building to start Science class.

* * *

It was a scorching hot day in the summer before fifth and fourth grade for Clint and Natasha respectively when they were sitting on Clint's back deck, sipping fresh squeezed lemonade and eating watermelon. They were watching Clint's brother, Barney, and his friend, Tony Stark, take turns running through the sprinkler in the backyard. Clint and Natasha had their turn an hour prior and had retired to the deck to let Barney and Tony play.

Barney and Tony were both going into seventh grade. Clint couldn't even fathom how time flew. It felt just like yesterday that it was the first day of first grade and he was rescuing Natasha from the playground bullies during her first day of kindergarten.

Natasha was chomping on her fourth slice of watermelon when Clint began to wonder if her parents still fought like they did when she was in kindergarten. She never really talked about it since that day on the school bus, and Clint never really asked. That was, until now.

"Do your parents still fight, Nat?" Clint asked, using one of the few nicknames she allowed him to call her.

She shrugged her shoulders while wiping the watermelon juice off of her face with the back of her hand.

"Not as much as they used to," she said taking a sip of lemonade to wash down the fruit. "When they do, they try to do it as quietly as possible."

Clint turned his attention back to his piece of watermelon, biting off a rather large chunk.

"That's why I like it better at your house," she said. "No one fights, except maybe you and your brother but I guess that's normal. Your mom makes the best cookies too."

Clint finally realized that not once had he actually had a play date at Natasha's house, and now he knew why. He'd never actually seen or met her parents. If they went to Natasha's house to pick her up, she always left through the front door by herself. If Natasha's mom or dad dropped her off, Natasha was always left alone to ring the doorbell to Clint's house.

Clint didn't want to push the subject any further so he suggested they join Barney and Tony in the backyard by the sprinkler. The four kids ran through the sprinkler until Clint's mom called the kids inside to eat some sandwiches she'd prepared for dinner.

* * *

Starting fourth grade scared Natasha right to her core. She had absolutely no problem with academics, or gym class, or the bus ride to and from school. Even though she wasn't very artistic, art class didn't even intimidate her!

She was scared because this was the first time Clint would not be in school with her. Secretly, she was scared that without Clint around, the playground bullies would come back and tease her. She didn't know if they were in the same grade as her, or if they had been older than her when they teased her. Either way, she didn't want them to come back. If they did, Clint wouldn't be around to help her.

Normally Natasha didn't show many emotions, but she couldn't help but cry the day the bullies teased her. She'd been excited about starting school at Hamilton Elementary. It wasn't just because she was eager to learn but she thought it would be a safe haven from her parents' constant fighting. She was in for a rude awakening when she got to the playground and the boys started to tease her. No matter where she went, there was constant hate and dislike. Meeting Clint made things better; his house was her safe haven.

However, it wasn't as if she didn't have other friends. Peggy and Jane were in her fourth grade class, as well as Bruce Banner, whom she hadn't been in class with since kindergarten. At least she would have _someone_ to lean on throughout the day if need be.

Natasha's first day of fourth grade quickly approached and she couldn't be less than thrilled. As she stood out at the end of her driveway, waiting for the bus, she couldn't help but wonder if Clint was feeling the same exact way.

* * *

A new school year. A new school. A new school bus. Clint was nervous about joining fifth grade at Stroudsburg Middle School. There were eighth graders in the same building for Pete's sake!

"Don't worry, baby brother! If anyone bothers you, come find me and I'll set them straight," Barney said, clapping his brother on the back.

Clint let out a nervous laugh and peaked down the road to check if the school bus was coming. Yes, there it was!

_Alright_, Clint thought. _Let's get this day over with._

* * *

The first week of school went by in a blur. Clint wasn't particularly pleased with being in the same class as just Thor. Thor and Clint had Mrs. Sanchez, while Steve was located in the neighboring hallway in Mrs. DeVivo's class.

The material was harder, especially math, which was not Clint's forte. There were lessons in English on punctuation, grammar, and how to spell even the most difficult words properly. Social Studies lessons were all about the colonial times and Clint couldn't help but think, _Get with the program Pilgrims and just get electricity_. Even Science wasn't even remotely interesting. No one cared about how magnets worked. Not even the challenge of "How many paperclips can you pick up with one magnet?" sparked Clint's interest.

By the time the weekend rolled around, all Clint wanted to do was sleep. He was physically and mentally exhausted. Fifth grade was hard.

Clint was awoken early Saturday morning by his mother, who told him that Natasha was on the phone. Clint quickly jumped out of bed and bounded down the steps to retrieve the phone from the kitchen.

"Nat, I'm so happy you called!" he practically screamed into the mouthpiece.

"Good morning to you too," she mumbled on the other end of the line.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "What are you doing today? Can you come over?"

"Yeah," she said excitedly. "My mom can bring me over when she goes into town in an hour."

Clint told her that he was excited to see her soon and hung up the phone. A reunion between him and Natasha was the one thing he needed to make this crappy week even better.

Natasha was ringing his door bell an hour later. When Clint answered the door, the two immediately ran into the living room to make a fort out of pillows and the couch cushions.

After Clint's mom had brought them some pretzels to snack on while they were bunkered down in their fort, Clint and Natasha began to share stories of their first week of school.

"Fifth grade's hard! My teacher's nice but she doesn't take crap from anybody!" Clint said, shoving a handful of pretzels in his mouth.

"My teacher's a weirdo," Natasha said. "I mean, just her name is weird. Who names their kid Sally Alley?"

Clint and Natasha giggled at Natasha's ridiculously named teacher, and continued to share more stories of their first week of school. Clint mentioned that he didn't like being in class with just Thor. It made him feel nervous that Steve was all alone in another classroom, let alone in a different hallway. Natasha mentioned that she didn't like swinging on the swings anymore. Jane and Peggy just didn't understand how competitive she was when it came to who could swing the highest, whereas Clint, Steve, and Thor knew _exactly_ how competitive she was.

Most of all, Clint and Natasha didn't like being in different schools.

"This is going to be the longest school year _ever_," Clint sighed.

They sat in silence in their pillow fort for some time. Venting had somewhat managed to tire them out. Clint and Natasha fell back on the pillows they stowed away in their fort for relaxation. They were lying on their backs, staring at the top of the fort when Natasha broke the silence.

"I miss my best friend," Natasha sighed.

Clint cracked a small smile. It was the best news he'd heard all day.

* * *

**I had a smile on my face the entire time I was writing this. All of them are just so adorable, even _I_ can't handle the cuteness overload!**

**By the way, the teachers mentioned throughout this fanfiction are all teachers I had when I was in elementary school (and I'm going to do the same for the rest of the teachers later on, except they'll be teachers I had in high school). So, yes, I did have a teacher named Sally Alley. I would _not_ make that up! **

**Thank you, once again, to everyone who has been reading this, adding it to their favorites, and reviewing it. With that said, please review! I'd love to hear what you guys think!**


	4. Cupid's Ball

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I love that you guys are loving the story so far! I'm sorry if this chapter feels a bit all over the place. I know you guys are loving them when they're young but I'm just way to excited to share what I have planned for high school. Anyways, here's chapter 4!**

* * *

Every week seemed to be an obstacle course Clint and Natasha had to accomplish to get to their weekend play dates. Every Saturday, Natasha would be at Clint's house from mid-morning until roughly nine o'clock at night. In the span of time that Natasha spent at Clint's house every Saturday, the duo would gather all of the blankets, pillows, and couch cushions they could find and they would build a super secret fort in the middle of the living room.

The school year was especially hard on them. Being in different schools was tough, but before they knew it, it was summer, and Natasha would be entering Stroudsburg Middle School in the fall. Clint had also hoped that he and Thor would be reunited with Steve. Having different teacher wasn't really working for them. Clint and Thor barely saw Steve, and they had hoped that having different teachers wouldn't put a strain on their friendship.

The summer passed by in a blur and before they knew it, school was starting back up again. Luckily, Clint, Steve, and Thor were all placed in the same sixth grade classroom. Unfortunately, they were going to have Mrs. Giffel, an extremely strict teacher whom Barney had when he was in sixth grade. Barney had been a troublemaker when he was in sixth grade, so Clint hoped Mrs. Giffel wouldn't assume Clint was the same way.

There was no recess at Stroudsburg Middle School so Clint and Natasha wouldn't get to see each other during the school day, but they always had the bus ride home to look forward to. Clint, Steve, Thor, and Natasha were still on the same bus route, so the bus ride to and from school always made for the most interesting part of the day.

The group of kids passed their respective grades with flying colors. Barney and Tony were moving on to bigger and better things at Stroudsburg High School. It was strange how quickly they had to grow up as soon as they left the middle school.

The summer before seventh grade, Clint, Thor, and Steve started discussing sports. Aside from archery, football was an extra-curricular Clint was interested in. Every year when his family visited for Thanksgiving, they played a game of football in the backyard. It was usually adults versus kids; the kids always won for some suspicious reason. Clint was a decent football player so he was considering trying out for the middle school's football team. Thor and Steve agreed to do the same.

Natasha wasn't pleased with this tidbit of information. She didn't want to seem selfish, but if Clint was at practice and games, that would mean she would have to spend more time in a house with parents who paid more attention to who was winning the latest argument than they did to her.

"But if you're at practices and games, we'll never have time to hang out," Natasha said one day when Clint brought up the subject.

"Don't worry Nat. I'll make time," Clint said with a small smile. "Besides, you're going to come to the games, right?"

Natasha smiled and nodded.

* * *

In the beginning of August, before seventh grade started, Thor, Clint, and Steve trekked to the middle school football field to try out for football. It was a long and grueling day, but in the end, they knew it would be worth it if they made the team.

A couple days later, Clint received a phone call from the coach informing him that he had made the team. Clint was ecstatic. A few hours later, Steve and Thor had both called Clint to tell him that they had both made the team as well.

Natasha was happy for Clint, but when he had called her on the phone to tell her the good news, he could tell something was wrong.

"Nothing," she mumbled when he had asked.

"Tasha, I know you. What's wrong?" Clint said.

"I just don't want to spend time at my house anymore than I have to," she said.

"Nat, don't worry. This won't change anything. I promise," Clint reassured her.

Clint was right. Football didn't change anything. If anything, Clint and Natasha had managed to spend more time together than they did before Clint had joined the team. When Clint had practice after school, Natasha would find a spot in the shade out of the way of the football players and she would work on her homework until practice was over. Natasha would then get a ride home with Clint and his mom. Most of the time, Natasha would join Clint and his family for dinner.

Natasha hated to admit it, but Clint was pretty good at football. She knew absolutely nothing about the sport, but from what she could tell from the praise the coach shouted at Clint after a play was done correctly, he had to be good at it.

The team's first game was the third weekend of September. Clint and his mom were going to pick up Natasha before they headed to the field. It was a perfect fall day. The temperature was in the low 60's. There was a slight breeze, and the sun was shining.

Natasha was excited to see Clint in action, in an actual game. Even if the team lost, she knew that all of them would be able to come out of the game knowing they played a good game.

Unfortunately, the team did lose, but it was only one game. They still had 19 more to go for the season. Either way, after the game, Natasha joined the team on the field and congratulated Thor, Steve, and Clint on a job well done on their very first game.

The football team ended the season with 19 wins, and only one loss – the very first game they lost. After the first game, Natasha watched them at practice as they reviewed their strategies and fixed what they had done wrong in the first game. Whatever they had fixed had definitely worked. They didn't lose a game following that practice.

Natasha had to admit that she felt a little bit like a loner since everyone else was getting involved in school activities while she just waited around for Clint to finish practice. She vowed that when she started seventh grade that she would definitely get herself more involved with the school.

* * *

Sixth and seventh grade ended for the group of friends, and once again they were faced with a summer of rest and relaxation. Once again, Natasha and Clint would be faced with their last year together in the same school, but Clint promised to make it worthwhile.

Eighth grade was quite possibly the most exciting grade to be a part of in the middle school. There were so many events and opportunities the school offered for the students who would be spending their last year together before high school. There was the harvest festival in October, Cupid's Ball in February (which only admitted seventh and eighth graders), and the farewell dance at the end of the year.

Natasha had managed to fill up her schedule for seventh grade. Not only had she managed to take the maximum amount of classes, but she was also a representative for Student Council, a Student Ambassador, and a member of the French club. She was always busy, but never too busy to hang out with Clint. She hadn't even realized that Clint was finished with football and that it was the middle of February when she started to notice the flyers and decorations for Cupid's Ball.

"What is all of this?" she asked pointing to the streamers adorning the entrance to the auditorium.

"Where have you been for the last couple of weeks?" Steve asked.

"Doing my school work, and attending Student Council meetings, and planning the bake sale for the French club," she said haughtily

"It's for Cupid's Ball," said Thor. "It's on Friday."

"Friday? This Friday?" Natasha asked, confused.

Thor nodded. "Yeah, are you not going?"

"I don't know. If I have time I guess," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"Nat, come on. You are working way too hard. I think you need a little time for yourself," Clint said sincerely. "We're all going together in a group. Please just come. I'm really not in the mood to go without my best friend."

Natasha shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't really have anything to wear, and you of all people know I can't afford anything unnecessary."

"Ask Peggy or Jane. I'm sure they'll be able to loan you something," Steve suggested.

Natasha groaned. Cupid's Ball seemed like an incredibly ridiculous plan to make singles feel lonely, and to make couples feel superior. Sure, it was only seventh and eighth graders but in this day and age, there were kindergarteners going steady.

"So is that a yes?" Clint said encouragingly.

"Fine," she said and stomped off to her next class.

* * *

It was finally Friday night and Natasha was getting ready in her bedroom for the dance. She had exactly 20 minutes until Clint and his mom arrived at her house to pick her up. She had spent the entire day at Jane's house sorting through all of the dresses her and Peggy owned. She had decided on a dark red dress with thin straps and a black ribbon that tied around the waist.

Natasha had never been a girly-girl, but she wasn't a tomboy. She dressed average, did her hair every-so-often, but never wore make-up. Tonight, she was pulling out all the stops. She had done her hair so that they hung in loose curls that brushed just above her shoulders. She had raided her mom's bathroom for some mascara and eyeliner, which she applied to a minimal extent. Finally, she pulled on the red dress and looked at herself in the mirror.

_It's nothing, _she thought. _It's just me in a dress. What's the big deal?_

Natasha heard the phone ringing in the kitchen and she rushed to pick it up. She was thankful that her parents were out to dinner with some co-workers. If they had seen her rushing to pick up the phone, they would have thought she was a lunatic.

"Hello?" she breathed.

"Nat! We'll be there in about five minutes," Clint said on the other line.

"Okay! Great!" she said, her voice cracking a little bit. Was she nervous? No, what did she have to be nervous about? She was only going to a Valentine's Day dance with her best friend…and the rest of their circle of friends.

Before she knew it, she saw the headlights to Clint's mom's car pull into the driveway.

_Should I open the door? Or should I wait for him to ring the doorbell? He_ did_ give me a heads up,_ Natasha thought.

The sound of the doorbell ripped her from her thoughts, and she was suddenly extremely scared to answer the door.

Reluctantly, she opened the door and there he stood. Natasha hadn't even realized how much he had grown up. His shoulders were broader thanks to the laborious football practices and he now towered over her by several inches. He was dressed in a crisp red button down dress shirt and black pants. His shoes were shined and his usually unkempt hair was brushed.

Clint took in Natasha's appearance as well. He had never really seen her so dressed up before, or so grown up. Her fiery red hair was curled just enough to let it brush her shoulders and the red dress complemented her hair.

_And is she wearing make-up?_ Clint thought.

"H-hey Nat," he said, managing to slightly compose himself.

_When did his voice get deeper?_ Natasha thought.

"Hey," she said. "Ummm, I just need to grab a couple of things if you'd like to come in."

Clint stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind him. Natasha padded back to her bedroom to grab her shoes and bag, and she could sense Clint right on her heels.

"Cool room," he said from the doorway.

"You can come in," she said, grabbing things from her dresser and shoving them into her bag. She was in such a rush that she even didn't notice the piece of pink construction paper that had flutter off of her mirror. Clint bent down to pick it up and was in for quite a surprise.

"Is this that Valentine I made you when you were in kindergarten?" Clint asked.

"Ummm, yeah," Natasha said, trying to brush it off.

"You kept it after all these years?" he asked, shocked.

"Did you really think I was going to throw it out?" she said, shoving her black sandals onto her feet. She was trying to avoid as much eye contact with him as possible.

There was silence between them again, but only because Clint thought it was better to stop distracting her so she could get her things together and they could get to the dance. When she finally looked ready, they headed to the front door.

"Oh wait!" Clint said. He had almost forgotten about the corsage he was holding.

"I asked my mom to get this," he said, pulling the corsage out of its container. "I just thought you deserved one."

She offered him her wrist and he slipped it on.

"Thanks," she said, eyeing the flower. "It's beautiful."

"No problem," he said. "So, I guess we should get going."

Natasha nodded and they headed out the front door and loaded into Clint's mom's car to head off to Cupid's Ball.

* * *

"This is so incredibly tacky!" Natasha exclaimed as she looked around the gym.

There were balloon arches, streamers, and pictures of Cupids taped to the wall. There was the stereotypical snack table with its stereotypical punch bowl. Natasha secretly wondered if someone had spiked it.

"What did you expect?" Clint said with a laugh.

They had joined Thor, Steve, Jane, and Peggy at a table on the outskirts on the dance floor. They were currently having some Twizzlers they had swiped from the snack table and taking a break from dancing. They watched as the students swayed, jumped, and spun around to the beat of the music.

Suddenly, the music took a turn for the worse. The DJ had decided now was the perfect time to switch over to a sappy love song for a slow dance.

"I love this song!" Jane squealed. "Come on Thor! Come dance with me!"

"O-okay," Thor said as Jane pulled him onto the dance floor.

Steve and Peggy followed suit without a word to Clint and Natasha. The best friends awkwardly sat at the table in silence as they watched their friends sway back and forth with each other.

"Would you like to dance?" Clint asked Natasha.

Her jaw dropped open as her heart began to race. He had just asked her to dance and she was sitting there staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

"Ummm, sure," she said. She watched as he rose from his chair and offered his hand to her. She took it and he led her to the dance floor.

Neither one of them had slow danced with each other before, let alone slow danced in general. Clint felt awkward putting his hands on her tiny waist, and Natasha felt the same way as she placed her hands on top of his shoulders. They looked around at the other students, most of them who looked just as awkward as them while they swayed back and forth to the music. Suddenly they didn't feel as awkward.

They were thoroughly enjoying the dance when all of sudden Steve glided over – with Peggy still holding on to him – to nudge Clint in the side. Steve nodded his head in the direction of Thor and Jane. Lo and behold they were kissing right in the middle of the dance floor.

"Their first kiss since Jane kissed him that day under the swirly slide," Steve said with a wink.

Clint chuckled and returned his attention back to the dance. Before they knew it, the song was over and they quickly pulled away from each other, blushing from embarrassment.

* * *

Clint's mom was pulling into her driveway when Natasha had woken up. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep. It wasn't even that late. Natasha peeked out the window and saw that the house was dark. Her parents were probably still out to dinner with their co-workers.

Clint's mom put the car in park and Natasha started to gather her things.

"Need any help Nat?" Clint asked from the other end of the back seat.

"Nope, I think I'm okay," Natasha said as she pushed open the door of the car and stepped out.

"Let me walk you to your door!" Clint exclaimed as he rushed out of the car to catch up with her.

Natasha kept walking but Clint soon fell in step with her. They climbed the steps to her front door but they stopped in front of the door. They both stood their awkwardly, both ignoring each other's company.

"Aren't you glad you went?" Clint said, breaking the silence.

"Oh yes, I would've been mad if I missed seeing Thor eat Jane's face," Natasha joked, and Clint replied with a laugh.

"I'm just glad you decided to come," Clint said.

"No problem. Anything for my best friend."

"Yeah, so…" Clint trailed off.

"So…" Natasha started. "I better get inside. It's getting late."

"Yeah, yeah," Clint said.

He watched as she pulled her key out of her bag and put it in the lock. She pushed open the door but only reached in and flicked on the light switch before turning her attention back to him.

"I guess I'll see you Monday?" Natasha asked.

"Y-yeah," Clint stammered.

He had never realized until this very moment how pretty his best friend really was. She was cute before, no doubt about it, but now she was pretty. Up until now, he had never really looked at her.

As for Natasha, she couldn't help but notice how gorgeous his eyes were. They were a grey color, but not just an ordinary grey. Not like the grey color of the sky when it's about to rain, or the color of smoke. She wasn't sure what she could compare them to, but the color was unlike any other she had ever seen.

She wasn't really paying attention to the fact that he was leaning in closer to her. She was too mesmerized by his eyes, but when she did notice, she didn't react. She didn't move. It even seemed like she was holding her breath.

Before she knew it, Clint had pulled back slowly and cleared his throat.

"So, Monday then," he stated.

She nodded. "Yeah, see you Monday."

Natasha watched as he bounded down the steps and slid into the front seat of his mom's car. She couldn't bear to be on the front steps anymore so she waved goodbye to Clint's mom and retreated into her house.

When Clint returned home, he was exhausted and ready for bed, but the last few minutes on Natasha's front porch were playing over and over again in his head.

_Why would you do that and jeopardize our friendship?_ he thought.

He peeled off his clothes and changed into a t-shirt and shorts and climbed into bed, falling asleep instantly. As for Natasha, she stayed awake until four in the morning, wondering why Clint didn't kiss her.

* * *

**So, yes, I am really sorry for making this chapter move super quickly but I hope you guys enjoyed Cupid's Ball! And I know, this was super long.**

**Tomorrow is pretty jam-packed. I'm going to see _Prometheus_ before I go to work. And then I get off at 10. I'll try to start chapter 5 now, and then continue it tomorrow when I get off of work. If I don't post it by tomorrow night, it will either be up Sunday night or Monday morning. **

**As always, thank you so much to everyone who had read this story, added it to their favorites, and reviewed it so far. Once again, please tell me what you think!**


	5. Self Revelations

**Hey guys, I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday. Along with work and going to see _Prometheus_ (which was awesome by the way, I highly suggest it. You know, if you're into that type of movie genre and what not), I had a really bad headache. I got like 2 pages written before I had to call it quits. But, here is chapter 5!**

* * *

Natasha wasn't quite sure how to feel towards Clint following Cupid's Ball. Sure she had wanted to him to kiss her Friday night after the dance but doing so may have jeopardized their friendship. The last thing she wanted was a strain on their friendship, so she decided that if the subject were to ever come up again, she would just brush it off as if nothing happened. Knowing her and Clint, they would have a good laugh about it.

At school, things were back to normal. Even Jane and Thor were trying to not acknowledge the events that took place during Cupid's Ball. The group sat together at lunch, laughing and joking around like they usually did. They would meet up with each other by the school's library before boarding their bus for the ride home. Cupid's Ball didn't seem to change anything.

The months following Cupid's Ball, Natasha became increasingly busy. Her teachers were somehow piling on homework as if she were a college student. Student Council meetings were practically every other day, and the French club was trying to raise money to take a trip to New York City to visit the MET.

Once again, Natasha didn't notice when the school had started advertising another dance – the end of the year farewell dance for the eighth graders. The farewell dance was strictly eighth grade only, and it was a special dance to say farewell to the eighth graders who would be moving on to bigger and better things at Stroudsburg High School.

When the subject came up during lunch one day, Natasha was once again, rendered dumbfounded.

"Living in your own little fantasy world again?" Steve teased.

"I just have too much to do and very little time to do it," Natasha said, stifling a yawn. The amount of homework she had recently been assigned by teachers had her up until nearly one in the morning.

"Maybe you should think about dropping one of your clubs, or maybe a class or two, next year," Clint said. "You're being way too hard on yourself."

"Nope, I'm fine. I can handle it," Natasha said before taking a swig of her chocolate milk.

"Anyways," Steve continued. "The farewell dance. Are the three of us just going as a group of eligible bachelors?"

Thor snorted a laugh while Clint stayed silent. Clint hadn't mentioned that he had asked someone from his Earth Science class to be his date. If they were allowed to take seventh graders as their dates, Natasha would have been his first choice, despite the events that took place following Cupid's Ball.

"You're awfully quiet over there Clint," Steve said.

"Ummm yeah, sorry. You guys are going to have to be the two eligible bachelors. I asked someone to go with me," Clint said, trying to hide the blush that was creeping up on his cheeks.

Natasha had nearly choked on the sip of chocolate milk she had ingested. She knew the farewell dance was strictly eighth grade only but she had thought Clint would not ask anyone to be his date.

"Oh, who's the lucky lady?" Steve said, teasingly.

"Bobbi Morse," Clint mumbled.

Natasha wasn't too pleased with this answer. Bobbi Morse was a stuck up brat whom she knew from Student Council. She liked to suck up to the advisors to get her way, and when she didn't, she would threaten to quit. Natasha had never butted heads with Bobbi, and she sure hoped that it would never happen. However, she couldn't help but wonder if Bobbi had agreed to be Clint's date just to irritate her. A stuck up popular girl like Bobbi would do such a thing.

"You okay, Nat?" Clint said when he noticed Natasha was being extremely quiet.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, quickly. "I'm just thinking about all the school work I have to do when I get home. It's going to be another late night."

In all honesty, she wasn't thinking about school work. She was actually really nervous about Bobbi being Clint's date to the farewell dance. Then, she realized, she was furious. Why of all people did it have to be _her_? She was a pretty blonde who could probably afford everything in the world. She could get any guy, including Clint, just by batting her eyelashes.

Then, Natasha realized, these feelings that she was experiencing, these thoughts and emotions, were jealousy. Natasha Romanoff was jealous.

* * *

It was Memorial Day weekend. It was also the weekend of the eighth grade farewell dance. Natasha sat in her room the morning of the dance, trying to keep herself busy. At 4:00 she was going over to Clint's house to see him and his…_date_ before they went to the dance. Clint had insisted she had come over beforehand so he could get pictures with her too.

This meant that Natasha had to actually put an effort into her appearance. If Clint had been taking anyone else, Natasha probably would just go over to his house and get her picture taken in a t-shirt and pair of jeans, but no, he was taking Bobbi Morse to the dance. That alone required Natasha to pull out all the stops once again.

Around 2:30, Natasha raided her mother's make-up supplies and began to prepare for the photo session at Clint's house. She didn't overdo it. She didn't want to look like she was gang-banged by a box of Crayola crayons. There was a little mascara here, a little bit of eyeliner there. She even applied a little bit of eye shadow, but nothing too drastic.

She still didn't have anything remotely nice to wear though. She returned the dressed she borrowed from Jane for Cupid's Ball so she was out of luck. Instead, she just settled on the nicest shirt she owned – a navy blue top with lace trim – and a pair of shorts.

Even though the temperature was in the 80's, Natasha favored her beat up black low-top Converses over a pair of sandals. Normally she wore sandals in such hot and humid weather, but wearing her Converse sneakers were sure to make Clint acknowledge her.

About 3:45, Natasha politely asked her mother to give her a ride to Clint's house, to which Mrs. Romanoff obliged. They piled into her mother's car, and at about 3:55, they had arrived at Clint's house. Natasha waved goodbye to her mom as she backed out of the driveway, and Natasha made her way up the front steps to Clint's house.

She stood in front of the door for what felt like an eternity. She wasn't sure if she was ready to see Clint all dressed up for the farewell dance. A dress shirt and nice dress pants was one thing, but a tuxedo was another thing. That was the thing about the eighth grade farewell dance; it was strictly a formal event.

Natasha took a deep breath, rang the doorbell, and patiently waited for someone to answer the door. Seconds later, she heard footsteps and the door suddenly opened. There stood Clint in his tuxedo-wearing glory.

_Well, if he looked handsome at Cupid's Ball, he looks beyond gorgeous now_, Natasha thought. _Wait, what? No, he looks nice. Just nice._

"Hey Nat," he said as he fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket.

"Hey," she managed to say.

"Nice shoes," he said nodding to her sneakers.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

Suddenly, Natasha heard the sound of tires turn into the driveway and she turned around and groaned. Bobbi had arrived, and all Natasha wanted to do was just go back home. The last thing she wanted was to be around someone she absolutely despised. Then again, she had to remember that she was here for Clint, and only Clint.

Clint bounded down the steps and greeted Bobbi who was cautiously stepping out of her parents' car. Natasha felt incredibly average and boring when she saw the dress that Bobbi was wearing. It was a pale purple strapless chiffon dress with beading on the bodice. Her hair was neatly curled and gathered in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. She wore silver chandelier earrings and her make-up was done flawlessly.

_Well, it was fun while it lasted_, Natasha thought. _No sense in me being here anymore. Might as well go home._

"Nat," Clint said, beckoning to her. "Come meet Bobbi."

Natasha walked down the steps and made her way over to Clint and Bobbi. This was the last thing she wanted to be doing, but she reminded herself that she was doing it for Clint.

"Bobbi, this is my best friend, Natasha," Clint said. "Natasha, this is Bobbi."

Natasha politely offered her hand to Bobbi for a handshake. To Natasha's surprise, she took it, and they shook hands.

"I believe we're in Student Council together, aren't we?" Bobbi said.

"Yeah, I think so," Natasha said nonchalantly.

After they were all acquainted, Clint's and Bobbi's parents ushered the kids to the backyard for pictures. Clint stood his ground and smiled while Bobbi mugged for the camera. Watching Bobbi pose as if she were a celebrity on a red carpet made Natasha want to throw up.

Once Clint and Bobbi had had enough pictures taken, Clint waved Natasha over and politely told Bobbi that he needed a couple pictures with his best friend. Natasha stood next to Clint awkwardly but she smiled and hoped at least some of the pictures turned out decent.

By the time they were finished with taking pictures and fussing over how lovely they both looked, it was time for Clint and Bobbi to head over to the high school where the dance was to be held. Secretly, Natasha didn't want him to go, but she was nice enough to tell him to have fun and watched as him and his mom drove off.

* * *

Clint had to admit that the farewell dance wasn't half bad. The theme was "Twilight in New York" and the high school cafeteria was decorated to the nines. There were string lights strung around the room. Handmade signs to represent 30 Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Grand Central Station, and the Empire State Building were plastered above the windows. Confetti was strewn about the tables while fake battery powered candles were placed in the center.

The moment they set foot in the cafeteria, Bobbi pulled Clint onto the dance floor. The DJ was playing some lame hip-hop song that Clint couldn't stand but Bobbi seemed to be into it so he decided that he should forget his dislike for the song and just go with it.

Steve and Thor had managed to find him on the dance floor and joined him and Bobbi. It felt good to finally have friendly faces around him. It wasn't that Bobbi wasn't a friendly face; they were desk partners in science class. Clint felt much more comfortable with Steve and Thor around. What he would give for Natasha to be here too.

After they had tired of dancing, they headed to the outskirts of the dance floor to claim a table. Steve and Thor excused themselves to grab some food and drinks, leaving Clint and Bobbi alone. They sat in silence for a couple minutes before Clint decided to break the ice.

"So, are you having fun?" he asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, this is fun," Bobbi said nodding her head.

"When Steve and Thor get back - ," he started but was instantly cut off by Bobbi smashing her lips up against his. He was caught off guard and he didn't like it. He didn't want to seem rude but he didn't want this to keep going so he lightly shoved her by the shoulders. She got the point, and she pulled back.

"What's wrong?" she asked innocently.

"Bobbi, I'm sorry, but I don't see you that way," he said, trying to be as polite as possible.

Bobbi suddenly got extremely defensive. "It's that Romanoff girl isn't it?"

"Sorry?" he asked, confused.

"I see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you!"

"Bobbi, she's 13. We're 14. The last thing I want is a girlfriend right now. Even if I did, I don't see you that way and I would _never_ see Natasha like that."

"Keep telling yourself that Barton, but I saw the way you two were at Cupid's Ball back in February."

"Then why did you kiss me if you knew?" he asked, laughing at her obvious stupidity.

"I hoped that maybe someone else would change your mind, but obviously it wouldn't," she sneered.

"You're psycho," he stated. He didn't even realize how stupid he was. She only agreed to go with him because she liked him and wanted him to forget about Natasha. Forget about Natasha? Natasha was practically the only person he thought about half the time.

With that thought, he realized that he should have never come to the farewell dance. It wasn't right without Natasha here. Sure he had Steve and Thor, but they didn't understand him like Natasha did.

Clint stood up and stared down Bobbi. "You can find your own ride home," he scoffed, and with that, he turned on his heel and headed out of the cafeteria. He pulled out the cell phone his mom had loaned him in case there was an emergency or his plans had changed. Oh, his plans had definitely changed.

He chose the phone number for his house phone from the list of contacts and pressed send. The phone rang three times before his mom picked up.

"Hey Mom, can you come pick me up?"

* * *

It was almost 11:30 at night and Natasha was seated in front of the television in the living room. Her parents had had another fight in the middle of dinner. It resulted in three dishes being thrown at the wall and her dad receiving a nice slap across the face from her mother. Natasha, accustomed to these fights, had only picked up her plate with a sigh, taken it to her room, and finished up her dinner in there. She didn't leave her room until she'd heard both of her parents leave.

Following fights like these, her mother would usually pack a bag and stay a night or two at her sister's house while her father would drown his sorrows at a bar on Main Street and pass out in an alleyway. They would leave Natasha alone in the house all by herself, not caring one bit to find someone to stay with her for the night. But hey, at least Natasha got the TV in the living room all to herself.

Natasha was flipping through the channels, attempting to find something interesting on. With thousands of channels on digital cable, there sure wasn't anything good on. She landed on NBC, which was re-airing an episode of _Saturday Night Live_, and decided that she could use a good laugh now more than ever. Within minutes, she was laughing so hard at the host's monologue that she didn't even remember why she needed a good laugh.

In the middle of a sketch about two Bronx soccer moms, the doorbell rang. Natasha stiffened and her eyes widened. Who the hell would be ringing her doorbell at nearly midnight?

_Surely it's a murderer_, Natasha thought.

The doorbell rang once again, and it startled her. She got up from the couch, and ran to the coat closet. She knew for sure that there was a baseball bat that her dad stored in there for self-defense purposes. Yes, of all the things her dad would use to protect himself, it was a baseball bat.

The doorbell rang a third time as she grabbed the bat from the closet. She tiptoed to the door and readied herself. Her plan was to swiftly open the door and swing away. She placed her hand on the doorknob, turned it, and let the door fall open. She was about to swing when she saw who was standing on her front porch.

It was Clint. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was unkempt as usual, but a trace of hair product that he had put in his hair for the dance was still noticeable. Natasha also noticed the duffle bag he had slung across his chest.

"Whoa there slugger! Easy," he chuckled putting his hands up in defense.

She eased the bat down, propping it up against the wall by the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. She suddenly felt very self-conscious of the t-shirt and sleep shorts she was wearing. Sure they had run through a sprinkler in Clint's backyard in their swimsuits when they were younger, but now that they were growing up, it seemed very awkward.

"The dance was kind of lame," he said, shifting from one foot the other. "I was bored, and I figured you were too. You tend to get that way when I'm not around."

He was right. She had spent nearly 20 minutes flipping through the channels just to land on a late-night sketch comedy show that she had never even watched before. However, it was quite entertaining.

"If this is a bad time, my mom can just take me home," he said gesticulating toward his mom's car parked in her driveway. Natasha couldn't see his mom seated in the driver's seat, but she waved anyways from the doorway.

"Ummm, no. It's cool. My parents had another fight, so they're not here," Natasha said. "But if you're Mom's not okay with my parents not being here, you should probably go home. I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Barney has done far worse. Staying at your house when your parents aren't home is nowhere near the caliber of what Barney has done," Clint said.

"Oh, okay," Natasha muttered, and gestured for him to step inside. Clint's mom backed out of Natasha's driveway and honked the horn when she pulled out onto the road to head home.

Clint had already made himself comfortable on the couch, which gave Natasha the opportunity to sprint to her room and grab a sweatshirt. When she reentered the living room, he was pulling out snacks from his duffle bag and setting them on the coffee table.

"I come bearing snacks. We made a pit stop at the grocery store before we came," he said.

He had managed to get all of her favorite snacks: Twizzlers, Goldfish, and even a bag of Spicy Nacho Doritos. There were also various candy bars, a bag of Cheetos, a bag of pretzels, and many more junk food items.

They settled on the couch and Clint reached for the remote, to which Natasha reciprocated with a slap on the hand.

"Hey, don't change my channel," she said with a smirk.

"You're watching _Saturday Night Live_?" he asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"It's actually quite funny. The host is hilarious, but I think she used to be a part of the cast at one point so I guess it makes sense," she said shrugging her shoulders.

Clint leaned back into the couch, ripping open a box of Pop Tarts. They sat like that for the remainder of the program, side by side but not touching one bit. At one point they were laughing so hard at a skit featured on the program that they were crying.

By 1:30 in the morning, they had somehow gravitated towards one another. Natasha was tired; all of that laughing had worn her out. She didn't quite know what she was doing when she rested her head on Clint's shoulder. He carefully reached behind him and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch to drape it across Natasha.

Not much later, Clint had also drifted off to sleep. His head lolled back to rest on the back of the couch. With that, they were both asleep.

Neither one of them would admit the reasons for their actions when they woke up in the morning, but deep down, both of them knew they were somehow falling in love with each other. Even if they were only 13 and 14 years old.

* * *

**So, I hope you guys really enjoyed this chapter. I'm going to get started with the next chapter so I can maybe have it up early tomorrow.**

**I will say this once again, and I will continue to say it, thank you for the reviews, adding this story to your favorites, and adding me as your favorite author. It means a lot. And you know what else would mean a lot to me? If you reviewed this chapter! Ha, I'm lame. But please, give me some feedback. I love reading what you guys think.**


	6. Summer Shenanigans

**Oh hey, guess who finished today's update early? This girl did! I believe you guys are going to have a damn heart attack from all the cuteness. I know I did. Anyways, here is chapter 6!**

* * *

The school year had ended for Clint and Natasha, and summer was bound to be an adventurous one. Clint's parents were planning a day trip to Dorney Park, an amusement park located about an hour's drive away, for the middle of July. Steve and Thor would be away for two weeks while they went to baseball camp at Temple University in Philadelphia; they were both hoping to join the junior varsity team in the spring when they got to the high school.

Natasha's parents had somehow managed to put their differences aside for the time being to plan a trip to New York City to visit Natasha's grandparents. Natasha and her parents were still dirt poor, but her grandparents were filthy stinking rich. They lived on the Upper East Side of NYC – on Fifth Avenue to be exact – and they were your quintessential rich assholes. Natasha's family had been financially struggling for years, and her grandparents – her father's parents – hoarded their money as if they didn't have enough of it.

"I _hate_ them," Natasha whined to Clint one day while they were lounging on Clint's back deck. "They don't like me. Every time I see them, they try to make me all lady-like. They make me drink tea and try to find me a husband that I should get married to when I'm 18."

Clint didn't like that comment, but he brushed it off. "Do they at least let you run around the city by yourself?" he asked. "I mean, your parents leave you home alone all the time. It would be pretty cool to gallivant around the city by yourself."

"I sure hope so," she said. "If I have to be cooped up in that fancy apartment, I might hurl. I might just take walks to the MET and sit on the steps and people watch like I usually do."

Clint wished he could go with her. He hated that she would be all alone in a city with family members who either despised her or didn't pay any attention to her. Not that she needed a lot of attention, but it's nice to be acknowledged every once in a while.

Natasha was gone for a week, so Clint spent that week with Steve and Thor. Clint and Thor would ride their bikes to the park while Steve coasted alongside them on his skateboard. They would usually meet up with Thor's older brother Loki and his classmates Maria and Pepper. Occasionally Barney and Tony would come along too. Barney would come just for something to do, but Clint noticed that Tony only tagged along just to see Pepper.

Once the week was over, Natasha had returned from New York City even more irritated than she was before. Her grandparents had apparently tried to bribe her with clothes and fancy gadgets in exchange for marrying a boy three years her senior named Alexei Shostakov.

When Clint heard this news, he tensed up. It was almost as if he wanted to punch the guy out for just being involved in this debacle.

"I'm used to this stuff happening. They try to promise me to some guy every time I see them but I always get out of it somehow," she said. "It was the fact that they bribed me to marry this Alexei guy. They know my family can't afford much so it was really upsetting that they would do that."

Natasha quickly changed the subject and Clint was glad that she did. He knew she didn't want to keep talking about it because it was obviously difficult to talk about. Clint, however, knew that if she kept talking about it, he would absolutely lose his temper. No one, not even her family, should treat Natasha that way, and Clint did not like it.

* * *

Summer passed by with flying colors. Clint and his family – along with Natasha, Steve, and Thor – finally made that trip to Dorney Park in the middle of July. They rode roller coasters, ate funnel cake, and got soaked on the water rides. All in all, it was one of the kids' highlights of the summer.

For the first two weeks in August, Steve and Thor were in Philadelphia at baseball camp, which left Clint and Natasha by themselves to ride out the last few weeks of summer before they had to be separated by different schools for another year. During the day, they would ride on Clint's bike to the park – Clint pedaled while Natasha balanced herself on the handlebars – and swing on the swings. By late afternoon, they would swing by Cherry Top and grab some ice cream with the money Clint's mom had given him. Natasha didn't like that she didn't have her own money to pay for ice cream and she usually felt like she was taking advantage of Clint and his family. Clint always insisted that it wasn't a big deal.

After eating their ice cream, Clint and Natasha would get back on Clint's bike and they would head back to his house for dinner with the rest of Clint's family. Natasha usually felt like she was imposing on family affairs as well, to which Clint's mother would always reply, "Natasha, you and Clint have been best friends since elementary school. You're practically part of the family."

It was a muggy night the week before school was about to start back up when Natasha and Clint were sitting around a campfire in Clint's backyard. They had roasted hot dogs, and roasted marshmallows to make s'mores, and now they were full and staring into the orange flames of the campfire. Clint and Natasha were sad that school was starting up in a week; this meant that they would barely be seeing each other.

Once Steve and Thor returned from baseball camp, football practice for the junior varsity team had started up. Clint had practice from eight to noon each day for the past week, and it would continue for the rest of the week until school started. Once school started, practice would be after school from four to eight. Throw in the games on the weekends, and that meant there was practically no time for Clint and Natasha to hang out. However, Clint had always told her that he will make time for her, no matter what.

Natasha stared into the flames as they danced around the firewood. When they were in fourth and fifth grade, being separated by schools was hard on them, especially Natasha since she feared the playground because of the bullies. But this year, Natasha wasn't sure how this separation was going to affect them. Since the events following Cupid's Ball, as well as the night of Clint's farewell dance, Natasha had sort of begun to develop feelings for her best friend. Sure she was only 13 – going on 14 in November – but there was no denying that she liked her best friend as more than a friend.

Clint was secretly feeling the same way. He didn't understand his actions, and he started to wonder if what Bobbi had said at the farewell dance was true. Did he really like his best friend as more than a friend?

"Do you still do archery, Clint?" Natasha asked, pulling Clint out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What? Oh yeah, every so often. Most of the time I do it when I get angry or stressed," he said. The day Natasha had told him about her trip to New York City was the last time he had took part in target practice. He had been so worked up about the Alexei guy being promised to her that he needed to do something to take his mind off of it. He had dug out his bow and arrow from the garage after she had left and dragged the target into the backyard. After about an hour of imagining the bulls-eye being the guy's head, Clint had let off enough steam and called it quits.

"Are you still good at it?" she asked.

"Is hitting the bulls-eye every single time considered good enough?" he teased as he turned to her and smiled.

"Stop being a jerk," she said, shoving him just a bit. "I was just wondering if you would teach me."

"Teach you what?" he asked.

"How to shoot a bow and arrow," she said matter-of-factly.

Clint was taken off-guard. He was really confused as to why she wanted to do this, but he realized that he didn't care. Secretly he was hoping that she wanted to do this so if her family members irritated her again, she could just take them out with one swift flick of a bow. Or she just wanted to spend more time with him.

"Yeah, okay. We can start tomorrow, but I'm going to let you know that I suck as a teacher," he said.

* * *

It was true. Clint was a horrible teacher. Normally very good at shooting a bow and arrow, he didn't quite know where to start.

"How about you show me how to hold the bow?" Natasha suggested with a giggle.

Clint laughed and demonstrated the correct way to hold the bow, as well as the stance and the correct posture. He then handed off the bow to Natasha to see if she could replicate the same stance. She demonstrated it, and Clint figured it looked good enough to him.

Clint wasn't sure if he should start her off with drawing the bow back with or without arrows, so he let her decide. She said she figured it might be easier without and so they practiced for about an hour drawing the bow back and releasing it without arrows.

After she had mastered the art of pulling the bow back without arrows, Clint decided it was time for her to actually try and shoot one. He grabbed his quiver and pulled an arrow out. He loaded up the bow to show her how to hold the arrow when it's pulled back – between the index and middle finger – and he released it. The arrow shot across the yard and lodged itself into the target, right on the bulls-eye.

When Clint was handing her an arrow to load into the bow, he noticed her left arm was extremely red from the bow string whipping up against it. He had forgotten to tell her to wear long sleeves so that it wouldn't hurt as much but clearly she didn't seem to notice or care. Either way, Clint stripped off his sweatshirt and handed it to her.

"I don't want you to get any bad welts or anything," he said when she rejected the offer. Only then did she graciously put on the sweatshirt and readied the bow. She still had a perfect stance but she didn't pull the bow back far enough and the arrow lost its momentum about halfway to the target once she released it.

Natasha kept going, pulling arrows out of the quiver and loading them into the bow, but failing miserably in her attempt to get them to hit the target. Once the quiver was empty, Clint ran across the yard to retrieve all of the arrows and brought them back for her to try again. Only this time around, Clint was going to help her, but of course, Natasha stubbornly said no.

"Nat, I'm just going to help this time. You're doing great so far," he said.

Natasha mumbled something incoherent under her breath but Clint still followed through with his plan. He let Natasha load the bow and get her stance ready. Clint was only going to help her with pulling the bow back and releasing it.

He positioned himself behind her, and wrapped his arms around her so that his hands were resting on hers. He wasn't sure why his heart was racing, or why it felt like there was an electrical current pulsing through his skin, but he tried to focus as hard as he could on helping her reach her target.

As soon as Clint put his hands over hers, Natasha's whole body had felt like she'd just gotten struck by lightning. His arms were around her and his hands were on hers. At this point, she had completely forgotten what she was supposed to be doing that she had relaxed a little bit on the bow.

"Nat, you have to pull up the bow and pull it back. It's a little low," he breathed in her ear. Her heart had begun to beat ten times faster. He was so close to her that she couldn't believe it.

"Oh sorry," she said, as Clint brought the bow back to its original height and helped her pull the bow string back. He pulled it back a little further, much farther than Natasha had originally been pulling it back, and told her to relax. She hadn't even noticed how tense her shoulders were. Whether that was just because she was just learning how to shoot a bow and arrow, or that Clint's arms were around her she wasn't sure. Either way, she relaxed her shoulders and let out a breath she hadn't even noticed she was holding in.

"Now relax your fingers, and let go," he said in her ear.

She did as she was told and let the arrow go. It felt like it was moving in slow motion from the moment she released it up to the point it hit the target. When it did, she squealed and jumped up and down in celebration.

"Clint, I did it! I did it!" she squealed. She tossed the bow on the ground and jumped up and wrapped her arms around Clint in a hug. Clint was completely caught off guard. He even had to take a step back to balance himself when her body slammed into his, but he wrapped his arms around her to reciprocate the hug.

She pulled back and looked Clint in the eyes. "I don't care what you say, you're a really great teacher," Natasha said.

"T-thanks," he stammered.

He set her down on the ground, breaking the hug, and they went to inspect where the arrow had lodged into the target. It was nowhere near the bulls-eye, but Natasha didn't care. At least she had managed to hit the target.

Clint pulled the arrow out and handed it to Natasha.

"You should keep this one, as a reminder of the first time you hit the target," Clint said.

Natasha gingerly took the arrow, and as she did, her fingers gently brushed against Clint's. She felt that same electrical current that she felt before. It felt like her skin was vibrating.

"Thanks. I'll display it right next to your Valentine," she said with a giggle. Clint smiled, and her heart began to race again.

There was no denying it. Natasha Romanoff was in love with her best friend, Clint Barton, and she couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same way.

* * *

**Oh hormones, aren't they a fantastic thing? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Maybe if I finish the next chapter before I go to bed tonight, it might be up later today. It's about 8:00 here, and I usually go to bed about 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. So yeah, maybe I can have the next chapter up by later tonight, so keep checking your alerts if you've signed up for them!**

**Once again, thanks for clogging up my email with alerts that you have signed up for story alerts, author alerts, adding this story to your favorites, reviews, etc. But really, it means a lot so thank you. And as always, please review this chapter. I love reading what you guys think of the story so far!**


	7. High School From Hell

**Okay, a few things before you start reading. Last chapter, when Clint was teaching Natasha how to shoot a bow and arrow, he was having her practice pulling the bow and releasing it without an arrow. Apparently this isn't a very smart move haha. It's called "dry firing" and it can be dangerous. Thank you to psychmaster for bringing this to my attention. I guess I didn't do my research well enough. So if your going to try archery, DON'T DO THAT.**

**Also, there is a time jump for this chapter. I skipped eighth and ninth grade for Natasha and Clint so it starts on Natasha's first day of high school as a freshman, Clint as a sophomore. Also, for future references, I DO NOT know Russian so Google Translate is going to have to suffice until I actually learn Russian (and who knows when that will be). So, without further ado, here is chapter 7.**

* * *

Clint glanced at his alarm clock from the makeshift bed on the floor. It was 6:58, and his alarm would be blaring in two minutes. Today would be his first day of his sophomore year of high school, but more importantly, today would be Natasha's first day of high school.

He glanced up to his bed where Natasha laid fast asleep. She had shown up on his doorstep last night at 10:00 with her mascara smeared across her face and a bag hanging off of her shoulder. Her parents had had another fight, and it wouldn't have been a big deal if she hadn't gotten involved.

Of course Natasha couldn't keep her mouth shut. She had been getting particularly snarky with her parents in recent months. Whenever her parents would fight, Natasha could never seem to stay out of it. Clint didn't know the full details of last night's fight but all he knows it was the last straw for Natasha so she packed a bag and trekked to his house.

Clint's alarm blared from his bedside table and he scrambled from his makeshift bed on the floor to turn it off. He slammed his fist down on the snooze button and collapsed back against the pillows on his bed on the floor.

Things between Natasha and Clint in the past year had been especially complicated. Along with being separated by different schools, Clint and Natasha had had several close calls of having their first kiss together, most them which were botched. Natasha had panicked at one point and made some lame excuse about needing to go home to do chores. Another time, Clint had accidentally clonked his forehead against her nose, giving her a bloody nose. Natasha had sneezed during another botched first kiss, and Clint had ended up getting his football jersey stuck to a bench when he went to move in for the kiss. Needless to say, their attempts haven't worked and they still haven't had a first kiss.

The alarm blared from his bedside table again, and this time, Clint stood up and turned the alarm off permanently. He looked over at Natasha, still fast asleep in his bed. When she had showed up at his front door last night, Clint's parents welcomed her into the house with open arms but were extremely nervous when Clint had lead her to his room. Clint reassured his parents that he wouldn't try anything funny.

Once Natasha made herself at home, she started to create a makeshift bed on the floor of Clint's room. Clint had stopped her and insisted she sleep in his bed, and he would sleep on the floor. After an intense argument, Natasha gave in and settled in to Clint's bed and fell right asleep.

Clint looked at Natasha one more time before he headed over to his closet to pick out something to wear for the day, and then headed over to the bathroom. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, and ran a comb through his hair, and then headed back to his room. Natasha was still asleep so he picked up one of the pillows from the floor and threw it at Natasha's sleeping form. When the pillow hit her, she moaned.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty, it's time to get up," he said with a chuckle, and began to gather up the blankets and pillows from the floor.

"No," she moaned, and then turned over in bed, shoving a pillow on top of her head.

"Nat, come on," he said, folding the blankets. "Don't make me drag you out of there."

Her head shot up and she glared at Clint. "You wouldn't dare," she said.

"Oh trust me, I would," he chuckled.

Natasha narrowed her eyes again, and then dropped her head on top of the pillows again, instantly falling back asleep. Barney would be driving them to school and he had a strict policy on leaving on time. If Natasha didn't get up and get ready, there was no way they would be making it to school on time today.

Unfortunately, Clint had to resort to pulling Natasha out of bed. He stood at the foot of the bed, lifted up the comforter, grabbed her feet, and pulled. Natasha let out a squeal and thrashed around.

"Now that I've got your attention, you need to get out of bed," Clint said.

Natasha moaned again, and tossed the blankets aside. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Clint felt like he was staring at her, so he quickly looked away. In the past year, Natasha had definitely developed. Her chest was bigger and she was beginning to develop curves. Her sleep shirt clung to her body and her shorts were riding up. It felt wrong to be looking at her, and since Clint was a gentleman, he looked away.

Natasha padded over to her bag in the corner of the room which contained a couple outfits and several necessary toiletries she had managed to pack in her anger fueled haze last night. She pulled out an outfit for the school day, her makeup bag, and her toothbrush and padded to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Nearly a year ago, Natasha never cared about her appearance and she still didn't, but now she at least put in some sort of effort. She started wearing makeup on a regular basis and spent more time doing her hair. She still couldn't do much about her wardrobe since money was still tight in her household but at least she tried to do something to make herself look better.

Natasha had to admit that she started putting more of an effort into her appearance because of Clint. He had definitely grown up as well. He had shot up a couple more inches in the past year and football had been good to him. His shoulders were broader and his biceps were so large she had to wrap both hands around them for her fingers to touch. She had even saw his abs at one point by accident and she was so embarrassed that she looked away as quick as she possibly could. To say the least, she didn't feel deserving of him if she was just boring and plain Natasha so she tried her hardest to put an effort into her appearance.

When Natasha finished up in the bathroom, she crossed the hall back to Clint's room. He was sitting on his bed playing with his new iPhone, but he instantly put it down once she entered the room. She shoved her stuff back into her bag, and began to pack her stuff up.

"What are you doing?" he asked, bewildered.

"Packing up my stuff," she said.

"Why? Just leave it here. You can pick it up after school," he said, sliding off of the bed.

"No, it's fine. I should probably go right home after school anyways to receive my punishment for running off," she sighed.

"Seriously Nat, just leave your stuff here, okay?" he said.

Natasha sighed and pulled all of her junk out of her bag and neatly set it on the floor of Clint's room. She arranged her notebooks and pencils in her backpack, zipped it up, and swung it onto her back.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said, flashing Clint a ghost of a smile. Clint crossed the room and enveloped Natasha into a hug.

"Whatever the fight was about, don't worry about it. Your parents never cared before so I don't understand why you're getting yourself all worked up over this," Clint whispered in her ear.

Clint could feel her stifling a sob and he hugged her even harder. Whatever it was, it had really affected her. Natasha rarely cried but when she did, Clint didn't like to see it. It was almost heartbreaking.

Then she let it all out. She was full blown crying into Clint's t-shirt, surely staining it with mascara since it wasn't waterproof. The worst part was she didn't know if she should tell Clint what the argument was about or not. This wasn't an ordinary fight between her parents. Normally her parents would start fighting in front of Natasha, then she would voice her opinion and then she would get roped into the fighting. However, during last night's fight at dinner, Natasha's parents had decided to target her. Well, not just her. Her and Clint, and their complicated relationship. Things got heated, plates were thrown, Natasha was crying, and by the end of the night, she had snuck out of her bedroom window and headed to Clint's house.

"Hey, it's okay. Whatever it was, they're probably over it now. You're dad probably got so drunk that he doesn't even remember," Clint mumbled into her ear.

Natasha laughed because the last statement was true. Her father was probably still passed out in an alleyway somewhere on Main Street in a puddle of his own vomit. Her mother was so dimwitted that she'll probably apologize to Natasha the moment she got home and shower her with hugs and kisses. Yet, Natasha still beat herself up over it mostly because of the things they had said about Clint.

She pulled away from Clint and wiped the stray tears from her face. Her hands came away with streaks of black and she looked back at Clint's shirt. Despite the fact that he was wearing a dark shirt, she could still clearly see the mascara and tear stains.

"Hey," he said, putting his hand under her chin and lifting her face so that she looking right at him. He brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped another stray tear away with his thumb. They locked eyes, and Clint began to lean into her.

_Please let this be for real this time_, she thought.

They were so close that she could feel his breath against her skin. They were about to kiss when a loud bang came from Clint's doorway and they quickly parted to see what the noise was.

Standing in the doorway was Clint's brother Barney swinging his keys around on his finger.

"Yo, asshole. Stop messing around or we're going to be late," Barney said, and quickly disappeared from the doorway.

Clint stepped away from Natasha and grabbed his backpack from the floor by his desk. He swung it onto his back and smiled at Natasha.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she croaked. She wiped at her face again, but it was hopeless. She clearly didn't have time to fix her makeup so fixing it in the car would have to suffice. Clint gestured to the door to let her go first and she headed down the stairs and out the front door to pile into Barney's car.

_Oh my God_, she thought. _If we don't kiss soon, I think I'm going to spontaneously combust._

* * *

Natasha's first day of high school went by in a blur. First period melted into second, and then she didn't quite remember the rest. She was physically and mentally exhausted from last night's fight with her parent's that she seemed be walking around the high school like a zombie. The few classes that she had with Jane and Peggy managed to pass by extremely quickly while the rest of them seemed to drag. By ninth period – French class – she just ready for the day to be over.

When the final bell rang, Natasha hastily tried to shove her belongings into her backpack but she failed miserably.

"Mademoiselle Romanoff," Natasha heard Madame Pissarra say. Natasha lifted up her head from packing up her belongings and looked at Madame Pissarra.

"I'd hate to ask, but do you happen to speak Russian?" she asked politely. Madame Pissarra was the French teacher for both the high school and for the middle school so Natasha had her before. Madame Pissarra knew she had a Russian background but she was pretty sure she had never told her if she spoke Russian or not.

"да," she answered, which meant "yes."

"Oh, great!" she said. "I was informed that a Russian exchange student is currently attending Stroudsburg High School this year, and I was wondering if you would maybe be interested in helping him adjust."

"Ummm, yeah," she said. "I wouldn't mind."

"Fantastic!" Madame Pissarra said. She pulled out a piece of paper and neatly wrote down information about the exchange student.

"This is his name, contact information, and which homeroom he is in," she said, passing Natasha the piece of paper.

Natasha's hand had begun to shake. She couldn't believe she had agreed to this because all she wanted to do now was say no.

"Is everything alright, Natasha?" Madame Pissarra asked.

"Madame, I would hate to do this, but cannot help this kid," Natasha said coolly.

"Why not?" Madame Pissarra asked, confused.

"I know him, and my family and his family do not get along well," Natasha lied. Her family and his family got along pretty well. It was Natasha who did not get along with him.

"Oh that's a shame. I don't want to cause conflict so don't worry about it!" Madame Pissarra said. Madame Pissarra dismissed Natasha from her classroom and she swung by her desk to pick up her backpack and headed out the door.

Clint was leaning up against the wall outside of the doorway and smiled when he saw her.

"So, Freshman, how was your first day?" he asked, falling into step with her as they walked down the now deserted hallway.

"It was fine until Madame asked me to help a foreign exchange student adjust to being at the school," Natasha growled.

"Why didn't you do it?"

"Remember that guy my grandparents tried to get me to marry?" Natasha said, as she stopped walking and turned to Clint to look at him face to face.

Clint clenched his jaw and braced for what she was about to say. He was pretty sure he already knew what it was.

"Well, he's here. Alexei is here."

_Great_, Clint thought. _Not only have Natasha and I not had our first kiss but now I've got to make sure this guy doesn't pull any stupid tricks._

"Clint? Are you okay?" Natasha asked.

Clint hadn't even noticed he had balled his hands into fists. He wasn't happy with how his first day of school had gone so this tidbit of information was just the icing on top of the cake.

"Yeah," he said, unclenching his fists. "Come on, Barney's waiting to take us home."

Clint wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him as they walked out the doors to meet his brother for a ride home.

* * *

**Seemed a little shorter to me than it usually is but at least it's an update. I was almost finished with it last night when a transformer blew outside of my house so I had no power. I'm going to stop promising a time that I'm going to update because it never seems to go as planned.**

**Anyways, thanks again to everyone reviewing, adding this to their favorites, signing up for alerts. I already have planned what's going to happen next for Clint and Natasha so I'll just give you three short simple words to tease it. 1920's Masquerade Ball. Lol, how many of you thought I was going to write "I love you?" Haha, psych! But I think you guys will really like what I have planned for the masquerade.**

**As always, I love reading what you guys have to say about the story so please review, review, review!**


	8. Homecoming and Masquerade

**What? Two chapters in one day? That's crazy! Also, I forgot to mention it in the chapter I posted earlier today. This fanfiction is rated T (mostly for language), and since Natasha and Clint are in high school, they're going to start developing a very colorful vocabulary. Just so you know, I curse like a sailor in real life, and I rather enjoy using the F-bomb, so I just wanted to let you know that there's going to be foul language soon.**

**And now, without further ado, I present to you...chapter 8!**

* * *

It was about two weeks into the school year that Natasha realized that getting a job might be a smart idea. She was starting to get to that age where she felt the need to buy a new outfit every week and needed money to go to the movies with friends. Her family's financial position had improved in the past year, but they were still in a position in which they couldn't buy anything that wasn't necessary.

A couple days after school, Natasha took a stroll down Main Street and entered every restaurant in hopes that they were hiring. Some of them turned her away at the door due to her age, and others just weren't hiring because of the crap economy. Eventually, Natasha found a couple of restaurants that were hiring and immediately put in her applications for both a waitress and hostess. She was willing to take anything that was offered to her.

By the end of September, Natasha was offered a job as a waitress at a place on lower Main Street called Sweet Creams Café. The manager had told her that they normally wouldn't hire a waitress as young as her but they were in dire need of a waitress on the weekends so they offered her the job.

"Nat, that's great!" Clint said when she told him the news.

"I have no idea how I'm going to get there though," she sighed. "My parents are in and out of the house at weird hours, not the mention I never know when a fight's going to erupt."

"Well, maybe I can talk to my mom and dad, and maybe Barney. I can ask if they'd be willing to drive you there," Clint said.

A couple days after school, as well as on the weekends, Natasha worked from four to close. Sweet Creams was a busy place, especially with the high school just up the road. Following the school's dismissal, students would trek down to the café for ice cream or a nice cup of coffee. Clint would always stop by to see her in action, and sometimes Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane would tag along as well. They would sit in her section and order something small to eat. When Natasha had a chance she would sit down at the table with them and chat about mindless things until she was given another table or one of her orders were ready. Once the group was finished and full, they would leave her a generous tip; Clint would always leave the most.

After only two weeks, Natasha had made almost $1,000 in tips, not including her paychecks. Natasha had never had this much money to herself, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do with it. One day after school, she walked the mile between the high school and the mall and went to town. She bought jeans and dress shirts and necklaces and new shoes. She even bought a pair of black Coach heels which cost $150. She didn't care about the price because she had just bought herself her first pair of high heels. Even after all of the shopping, she still had $300 left to her name, and with the hours still piling up at Sweet Creams, there would be more where that came from.

Having a job also meant that Natasha had to miss a few of Clint's football games. He was on the varsity team this year, and so far, the team was undefeated. However, she promised herself that she would take off for Homecoming; her manager completely understood when it came to a teenager wanting to take off for school events.

Homecoming was in the middle of October, and the football team was still undefeated. Natasha's boss had managed to give her Friday night off so she could attend the game in exchange for a double shift on Sunday.

Natasha had to catch a ride with Peggy and Jane to the stadium since Clint was already there in preparation for the game. They entered the stadium after purchasing their tickets and took a seat on the home team's side. Out of the corner of her eye, Natasha could see him. Not Clint, but Alexei. He was seated across the aisle from her and she was scared to even turn her head to the side even the slightest for fear that he would try to talk to her. Instead, she tried to focus her attention on a conversation Peggy and Jane were having.

The girls' conversation ceased when the football team ran out onto the field and she spotted Clint all geared up. Peggy and Jane were equally excited when they saw Steve and Thor in their football gear.

Kick off started at 7:00 sharp and the game ensued. Natasha had to admit that she understood football a little better after attending all of Clint's games in the past. A touchdown was six points and a field goal that followed a touchdown was one point. The team had to try to get the ball to travel 10 yards in order to get a first down. If it didn't travel 10 yards in four downs, the opposing team got the ball. Simple enough.

The Stroudsburg Mountaineers were ahead by three when the buzzer went off to signify the end of the second quarter. The football team rushed off of the field and the marching band organized themselves on the field. After the marching band played a set of songs, including "Uprising" by Muse and "Jump" by Van Halen, the class floats began to parade around the football field.

This year's theme was Disney princesses. Each class was assigned a Disney princess movie to recreate for their float. The senior class entered first with their recreation of Cinderella. Since the judging for the best float had already taken place, it was obvious that the senior class had taken first place. With Tony Stark in their class, there was no way they would lose. Next was the junior class with Beauty and the Beast, followed by the sophomore class with The Little Mermaid. Finally, the freshman class float trudged along behind the rest of them; their float was Snow White. There was no doubt about it after seeing the rest of the high school floats that the freshman class had come in last.

Once the parade was over and everyone was settled back in their seats, the game resumed. The opposing team had scored a touchdown a couple minutes into the third quarter, which caused them to gain the lead. In the middle of the third quarter, the Mountaineers had started to play rough in order to get the ball back. Their plan worked, and the ball was back in their possession.

The opposing team started to play rough as well and the ball kept going back and forth from one team's possession to the other. By the fourth quarter, both teams were equally tired but they were still playing as hard and dirty as they could muster.

The game was beginning to be quite a nail biter. The scores were close with the Mountaineers only trailing behind by two points. They either had to choose to kick a field goal, which would earn them three points, or run the ball 40 yards to score a touchdown. For some reason, Coach Ross chose the latter.

It was almost as if the entire play was moving in slow motion. They watched as Thor, positioned at center, snapped the ball back to his brother Loki, the quarterback. Loki looked up and down the field for an open player, and that's when he spotted his wide receiver, Clint, close to the 30 yard line. He threw the ball and watched as it spiraled towards Clint.

10 seconds left, as Clint caught the ball and took off. Natasha squealed and jumped up to get a better look. Unfortunately, her excitement left just as quickly as it came. Coming in from Clint's right was a player from the opposing team and he was barreling straight for him.

Five seconds left, and ten yards to go, Clint was getting closer to the end zone but the opposing team's player was closer to him. Natasha winced as she watched the player slam into Clint's side and tackled him to the ground. The buzzer reverberated throughout the stadium and the opposing team's audience cheered as they celebrated their school's victory.

* * *

Natasha stood outside of the locker room as she waited for Clint to finish getting changed into normal clothes. She knew he'd be really disappointed in himself when he came out so she knew she had to be there to make him feel better.

She was picking at her nails when she noticed someone leaning up against the wall beside her. She turned her head and nearly jumped out of her skin. Standing next to her was Alexei Shostakov, and he had a ridiculously mischievous grin on his face.

"Evening Miss Romanoff," he said.

"What do you want Alexei?" Natasha said through gritted teeth.

"Our first meeting was less than pleasant and I was wondering if we could start fresh," he said with that stupid grin still plastered on his face.

"No," she said bluntly, and turned away from him.

"This isn't a trick I promise."

"Well I beg to differ."

Natasha started to bite her nails as she wished Clint would hurry up. He wouldn't be too happy when he came out of the locker room and seeing Alexei certainly would not brighten his mood.

"Listen, I heard about this masquerade ball that's taking place in December and I was wondering if you'd like to go just as friends," he said, very persistently.

"No," she answered again, but with a slight edge in her voice.

"Just as friends, I promise. I won't try anything funny," he said.

Natasha contemplated saying no again, but she figured that if she maybe said yes, it would get her grandparents to stop harping on her.

"_Fine_," she spat. "But this _does not_ change _anything_."

With that, Alexei grinned like an idiot and waltzed away into the night. Her heart was racing but not because of excitement. She was scared as to what Clint was going to think. She was hoping that he would ask her to the masquerade ball and now, if he did, she couldn't go with him. Suddenly, she was very scared for him to exit that locker room because she wasn't quite sure how she was going to be able to face him.

After a couple more minutes of being lost in thought, Natasha heard the locker room door screech open and Clint stepped out into the cool night. He was dressed in a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. His duffle bag was slung across his chest as usual. He looked exhausted but his face lit up when he saw Natasha leaning up against the wall outside the door.

"Hey," he said, with a small smile.

"Hey, good game!" she said, her voice cracking. Oh she was definitely nervous to tell him. She walked up to him and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his torso but he winced.

"What's wrong? What did I do?" she asked stepping back from him.

"Nothing, it's fine," he said sucking in a breath. "When that guy slammed into me he cracked a couple ribs. No big deal."

"No big deal? That sounds like a big deal to me," she said.

"No, it's fine," he said. "But anyways, was it worth taking off of work?"

"Well yeah, I get to see my best friend whom I never see anymore _because_ I work so much," she said as they started to walk towards the parking lot to meet up with his brother for a ride home.

"It's fine. You're probably trying to save up to buy a dress for that masquerade ball which brings me to -."

"I can't go with you!" she blurted out and quickly covered her mouth with her hands. This was not how she wanted to tell him, and she wanted to cry.

"Please don't be mad," she whispered.

"Mad? Why would I be mad? So, you want to go with someone else, that's fine," he said with a chuckle. "Who is it anyways? My brother?"

"Alexei," she whispered.

Clint had felt like he got tackled by the football player all over again, and then while he was lying on the ground, the guy started to kick him over and over again. That's what it felt like when Natasha had said his name. It felt like he was getting the shit kicked out of him. However, Clint kept his cool and tried not to overreact.

"I just figured if I agreed to go with him, my grandparents would get off my back," she said, blinking back tears. She really did not want to hurt him like this.

"Nat, it's fine. Understandable," he said.

Deep down, however, all Clint wanted to do was stay home the night of the masquerade ball because he couldn't bear seeing her go with someone else.

* * *

It was the night of the 1920's Masquerade Ball and Clint wanted to do nothing but sit in his bedroom and drown in his sorrows. For the past month and a half following Natasha's confession that she was going to the ball with Alexei, their friendship had been strained and tense. She spent most of her time at work in order to pay for a 1920's style dress for the dance.

Clint had fully planned on hiding out in his room the entire night playing Angry Birds on his phone, but it was Steve and Thor who changed his plans. They had arrived two hours before the dance dressed to the nines in their 1920's attire that looked like it was straight out of _Boardwalk Empire_. They weren't just visiting to show off how fancy they looked in their outfits, they had come equipped with the same clothing for Clint as well.

After a much needed metaphorical kick in the ass, Clint trudged to the bathroom across the hall to put on the suit. He had to admit that he looked good, and with the simple black mask on, he could be anyone he wanted to be. However, the only person he wanted to be was Clint, and he couldn't be Clint without Natasha.

Clint's mom fussed over how handsome he looked, and took the boys' picture. The three boys slipped on their fedoras and masks for one last picture and then they were off to the dance.

* * *

Clint had to admit that a 1920's themed masquerade ball was pretty cool. Everyone was dressed fabulously and very chic, and to be totally honest, he couldn't tell who everyone was behind their masks. Steve and Thor were on the prowl to find Peggy and Jane, so they left Clint by himself in the doorway.

This is the exact reason Clint didn't want to go to the dance. Steve and Thor had their women, and Clint didn't have anyone. Natasha, the one person he thought he could always count on, was with someone else at the dance. Speaking of Natasha, he didn't even know if she was here yet. Though many of the people at the dance were unrecognizable due to the masks they wore, he would be able to spot Natasha out of a sea of people. There was no way he would be able to avoid noticing her fiery red hair.

He made his way around the outskirts of the dance floor and spotted Steve and Thor seated at a table with Peggy and Jane. They waved him over and apologized for abandoning him at the entrance. He took a seat at the table between Steve and Thor and that's when he saw her.

It was ironic that "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra had started blaring from the sound system as soon as she walked through the door, but Clint was absolutely mesmerized by how beautiful she looked. She wore a simple gold beaded dress that hung just above her knees and she wore simple gold metallic heels. Her hair hung in loose pin curls that almost made it seem like her hair was as short as a bob. On her face was a simple gold lace mask.

There was a great amount of distance between her and Alexei and that brightened up Clint's spirits a bit. He watched as she followed him over to an empty table on the outskirts of the dance floor and left her there to grab them some drinks. She looked absolutely miserable, and Clint wondered what Alexei had done to make her that way. Whatever it was, he would find out and seriously make him pay for it one way or another.

Steve and Thor were getting up to go to the dance floor with Peggy and Jane, but the girls ran back to the table and grabbed Clint and dragged him out to the dance floor. He protested but the girls just pushed him closer and closer to the dance floor. Before he knew it, he had lost sight of Natasha and he was in the middle of the dance floor with Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane.

Clint had started to have a little fun as soon as he started watching Steve and Thor bust out some extremely lame dance moves that made the girls giggle. Clint didn't completely forget about Natasha, but she was always in the back of his mind as he danced with Steve, Thor, and the girls.

After several upbeat songs, the DJ slowed it down and the dancers on the dance floor all paired up. Steve and Peggy were slowly swaying back and forth while Thor and Jane looked like they were connecting with each other on a deep level as they stared into each other's eyes. Clint felt like a fifth wheel and started to make his way to the edge of the crowd.

He was so focused on reaching the edge of the crowd that he almost didn't notice Natasha and Alexei arguing in the middle of the crowd. Natasha was standing there with her arms across her chest, and Alexei was pointing a finger at her. Clint would've knocked him out if he hadn't realized that Natasha looked like she was thoroughly enjoying the argument. Clearly it meant that she was winning. Clint watched as Alexei stomped off through the crowd, leaving Natasha all alone, looking genuinely pleased with herself. Whatever she had said, Clint was pretty sure Alexei wouldn't be bothering her ever again.

The slow song switched over to another one and Clint recognized it. It was currently Natasha's favorite song – "Never Let Me Go" by Florence & the Machine – and he took it as a sign.

_Now's your chance, Clint_, he thought.

He pushed through the crowd to make his way over to Natasha, who was still standing her ground in the middle of the dance floor. For such a short distance, it took him a little bit to make it over to her but when he did, he didn't hesitate. He stood right in front of her, his eyes locked on hers. He gently placed both hands on the side of her face and he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips.

His heart was racing and he could feel hers beating faster than ever as she pressed her body up against his to lean into the kiss. They broke apart and he went to look her in the eyes, except her eyes were closed.

"_Finally_," she breathed, and Clint chuckled.

"Now take off your mask," she said dreamily with her eyes still closed.

"Why? You know it's me," Clint said.

"When I open my eyes, I want to see my best friend, not some person with a mask over his face."

Clint smirked and pulled off the mask and his fedora in one swift movement. He let the mask and the hat drop to the floor and he raised his hands to her face to gingerly slide her mask off of her face as well. He slipped it into his pocket and watched as she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled right back.

He took her face into his hands again and kissed her as glittered confetti rained down on them.

* * *

**THEY KISSED! GOOD GOD THEY KISSED! Are you guys freaking out? I know I am haha. By the way, if you haven't heard "Never Let Me Go" by Florence & the Machine, go look it up on YouTube, it's my favorite song by her.**

**Once again, thank you for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing the chapters. As always, I love to hear what you guys think so please review! I mean seriously, I can't to read what you guys thought of this chapter haha. The fandom's going to explode!**


	9. Coney Island

**Wow, I went to town on this one. Almost 100 words shy of 4,000. Anyways, this chapter is chock full of stuff. I had a bit of writer's block so it's all over the place but I think you guys are going to rather enjoy their trip to Coney Island. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clint and Natasha weren't quite sure if they were in a relationship or not following the masquerade ball, but one thing they were sure about was that they were still best friends. The days following the masquerade ball, Natasha felt like she was walking on cloud nine. Not even a glimpse of Alexei could bring her down from her high. To be honest, she didn't really care if they were dating or not. All she needed was Clint in her life and that's all that really mattered to her.

However, Clint's parents weren't really proud of this achievement in their son's life. Though they were happy for the both of them and that they had finally managed to have their first kiss together, his parents thought that they were too young to be dating. They also didn't want their son or Natasha to get hurt. Relationships were tough and they didn't want Clint and Natasha to experience that just yet.

Therefore, while it was a slow night at Sweet Creams while Natasha was working, Clint sat in her section and they attempted to discuss where to go from here on out.

"My parents think one of us is going to get hurt if we start a relationship," Clint mumbled as he picked at the food on his plate.

"Oh please," Natasha groaned. "I get hurt all the time by my parents' abusive words. I can handle a little breakup if it were to happen."

"They think we're too young."

"There are younger kids dating nowadays."

"They think we should wait a year."

"A year?"

"Thought you were okay with not being in a relationship, Tasha?" Clint said raising an eyebrow at her.

He was right. She had told him that she was okay with still being just friends, but there was a part of her that wanted his arms around her, his lips brushing against hers, and his eyes to stare longingly into hers. Sure a year would ensure that they were mature enough to handle it but it felt so far off that Natasha wasn't sure she'd be able to handle it.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it, I guess…" she trailed off.

Clint slightly rose from his seat and leaned across the table and gave her a quick kiss. It was short and sweet but it still made Natasha feel dizzy, as if she had spun around too many times.

"That should hold you over for a year," he said, sitting back down in his seat the proper way and shoved a couple of fries in his mouth.

"You're an ass," she said as she got up to tend to her other tables.

"Watch your language. That's not professional at all," he called after her as she walked away.

* * *

Clint never did find out what Natasha had been arguing with Alexei about at the masquerade ball, and he never asked, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried Alexei would still try anything stupid. He had never really seen Alexei in the halls much before the masquerade ball, and he still didn't see him. Clint was starting to wonder if he even went to this school.

However, Natasha passed him in the hallway all the time. He didn't intimidate her and he didn't scare her. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Natasha always shot him intimidating looks that made Alexei scampered off in the opposite direction.

Clint was still curious as to what she did to make him run off so quickly. Many times he tried to broach the subject but it just seemed like it would have been horrible timing.

He finally asked her one day after school while they sitting in his living room, doing homework. It was a rare occurrence for Natasha to have a day off after school so the fact that they were spending time together – even if it was doing homework in complete and utter silence – was a blessing.

It was quiet in the living room where they sat – Clint sprawled out across the couch with his history textbook propped up against his leg, and Natasha leaning up against the couch with her math homework scattered across the floor – except for the sound of the occasional scratch of a pencil upon paper. Clint wasn't focusing well on his homework questions, and it was hard to keep the thought of Alexei out of his mind. He knew better to bug Natasha while she was doing her homework, but he couldn't shake this from his head.

"Hey Nat?"

"Hmm?"

"What did you say to Alexei at the masquerade ball that pissed him off so much?" Clint asked, his voice shaking a little. He was a little nervous to ask this. It wasn't his business, and if Natasha wanted to tell him, she would have by now. She sighed and set her books on the floor to turn around and face him.

"Well, it turns out that his family had to file for bankruptcy, and his parents wanted him to marry me to cover it up."

Clint was starting to get angry again. He didn't like when she talked about the whole marriage thing her grandparents keep trying to do to her.

"I found out," she continued. "And it turns out my grandparents didn't know. The last thing they would want is some greatly respected family from Russia who is now bankrupt tarnishing their reputation."

"Respected?" Clint asked. "How is his family respected?"

"They're practically business royalty. Alexei's dad owns several corporate businesses across Russia, but he made a couple financial mistakes on purpose that have now seriously hurt him and his family. Alexei wasn't too happy about it when I told him about it at the masquerade ball. He brought up the whole marriage thing again, and I used the bankruptcy ordeal against him."

"So what now? Are your grandparents going to try and pawn you off on someone else?" Clint asked, trying to hide his jealousy.

Natasha shook her head. "Nope, that won't be happening."

"Why not? From what you tell me, they're pretty persistent."

Natasha drew in a huge breath and let it out. "Because I told them I love someone," she said, and she turned back to her homework.

Clint couldn't hide the huge grin that spread across his face as he returned to a comfortable position on the couch to finish his homework.

* * *

Before the group of friends knew it, summer was upon them, and so was Barney and Tony's graduation. It was hard to believe how time flew. Clint couldn't believe his brother would be off to attend college in the fall at University of Pittsburgh. Though Clint and Barney fought a lot, it was going to be hard with Barney living six hours away.

The evening of Barney's graduation ceremony, Clint and his parents piled into their car and headed to the stadium for the 7:00 ceremony. Barney's graduation went by in a blur. Clint couldn't believe he was witnessing this. Tony's valedictorian speech was heartwarming and funny at the same time, and the salutatorian – a girl whom Clint didn't know – even teared up a bit. As soon as they started calling the names Clint and his parents kept their ears open for Barney's name to get called, and when it was, they cheered as loud as they could and they watched as Barney stumbled on stage and accepted his diploma.

Once all of the names were called, Principal Fury introduced the latest graduating class, and then chaos ensued. Silly string was flying through the air. Caps were thrown. Fireworks exploded in the night sky. Barney had graduated high school. Clint was going to be a junior, and Natasha was going to be a sophomore. At this thought, Clint realized he only had two more years left of high school. Two years left with Natasha being around every day, and it scared the living hell out of him.

* * *

Barney didn't want a graduation party. Instead, he wanted to take a trip to Coney Island since he had never been there before. The trip to Coney Island was planned a week after graduation – a Saturday to be exact – in order for Barney to attend his friends' graduation parties.

Tony Stark was generous enough to extend the invite of his graduation party to Clint and Clint's friends. Clint had never really hung out with Tony, except for when he tagged along with Barney whenever they went somewhere. Clint never understood why Barney and Tony were friends since they were polar opposites. Tony was the smartest person in his class, which was clearly evident over the fact that he graduated as valedictorian. Barney did enough just to get by. It really stumped Clint as to how Barney had gotten into University of Pittsburgh because his grades were average and so were his SATs. They were nowhere near phenomenal like Tony's were, who would be heading off to Stanford University in the fall.

The day of Tony's graduation party, Clint, Steve, and Thor rode along with Barney over to Tony's house; Natasha would be joining them later once she got off of work. Clint had never been to Tony's house, so he imagined it would be magnificent. Sure enough, it was. Isolated atop a hill outside of town, Tony's house was located at the end of a long, winding driveway. It overlooked the entire town. There was an Olympic sized pool and a Jacuzzi. The house was made of stone and the landscaping was tended to perfection.

Barney parked his car behind a silver Prius and the boys headed out back by the pool to join the party. The boys claimed a table in the yard and began to chat. After a couple minutes, they realized that Tony was nowhere to be found. It was strange for Tony Stark to miss his own party.

"Now the party don't start 'til I walk in!" Tony shouted half clothed from the balcony above the pool.

"Please tell me he did not just quote Ke$ha," Barney said, covering his face in embarrassment.

Tony disappeared once more, but reappeared a couple minutes later on the patio dressed to the nines. Many of his classmates patted him on the back and shook his hand as he made his way over to the table Clint, Barney, Steve, and Thor were seated at.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," Tony said sliding out a chair from underneath the table and joining them at the table. "My lady friend and I were…indisposed."

"Lady friend?" Barney said as Clint, Steve, and Thor reacted with a round of "yucks," "ews," and "I really didn't need to know thats."

"Oh I didn't tell you?" Tony said. "My lady friend is Pepper Potts. We've been dating for several months now. We only kept it a secret because her parents don't quite approve of me."

"Well they're not going to approve of you now once they find you've been secretly dating her, not to mention sleeping with her," Barney said.

"Oh they'll get over it," Tony said, waving him off. "Once they see how much of a charming and studious college student I'm going to be, they'll have to accept me."

"That will only make it worse since they'll probably suspect you're sleeping with other girls at Stanford," Thor chimed in.

"Nah," Tony said. "That's not possible. California girls are too easy, and we all know I want girls that I can't have."

With that, the conversation was over and the boys rose from the table to grab something to eat. They were headed inside to grab food from the bar when Clint spotted Natasha stepping down the stone steps into the backyard. Clint thought he would get used to seeing her dressed up but every single time he did, she took his breath away. She wore a light blue sundress with a white cardigan over it, no doubt to keep her warm when it got cooler later. Her hair hung in loose curls that just slightly brushed her shoulders. There was a brown belt tied around her waist that accentuated her curves.

"I'll meet you guys in there!" Clint called to the rest of the guys, and made his way over to Natasha.

"Hey!" he said when he approached her.

"Hey!" she said with a smile.

"You look…nice," Clint said.

She rolled her eyes. "Nice? I look beyond gorgeous for someone who just got off of work," she teased.

They started to walk back towards to door to go inside and get something to eat.

"So…" Clint said. "Did you get off of work for next Saturday? For Coney Island?"

"Yeah. I'm really excited by the way," Natasha said.

Even though the Coney Island trip was Barney's graduation present/party, Clint was still allowed to bring friends with him, so he invited Natasha, Thor, Steve, Peggy, and Jane.

"Yeah, me too," he said.

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet!" Tony called from the door way. "Stop making googly eyes at each other and get in here and grab some food before it's all gone!"

With that, Tony disappeared back into the house and Clint and Natasha made their way into the house to grab something to eat without another word about the Coney Island trip.

* * *

It was 7:00 in the morning the day of the Coney Island trip when Clint was roused from his bed by his father. He blinked at him sleepily and sluggishly climbed out of bed. They would be leaving in about an hour. Natasha would be arriving at his house around 7:45 with Jane and her parents, who graciously offered to give her a ride to Clint's house.

Jane and Natasha arrived right on time, with Peggy arriving soon after. The teenagers were bleary eyed and tired but were excited for the trip to Coney Island. The group piled into two separate cars – Barney with Tony, Steve, and Thor and Clint's parents with Clint, Natasha, Peggy, and Jane – and they were off for the nearly two hour drive.

When they finally arrived at Coney Island, the boardwalk was already packed and the beach was lined with tourists soaking up the sun's rays. Barney and Clint's parents found a place to park down the road from the main attractions. Clint's parents advised everyone that they were to return to the cars at 10:00 at night. Tardiness would be frowned upon, and in Clint and Barney's case, a severe grounding. With that final remark, the teens were sent on their way to explore however they pleased.

Barney and Tony broke off to find something to eat from the boardwalk since they never ate breakfast, and Clint's mom and dad toted their lounge chairs towards the beach. Clint, Steve, Thor, Peggy, Jane, and Natasha didn't quite know where to start. It was too early for the rides to be in operation, and they weren't hungry so they decided to take a walk along the beach.

It was a perfect day for lounging at the beach. The sun was shining. The water was just right, and the temperature was in the low 80's. The group of teens skirted along the edge of the water, digging their toes in the sand and waiting for the water to lap up against their feet. At one point, Steve snuck up behind Peggy and playfully teased that he would throw her into the water. Peggy had no problem with this, as long as she got to take off her clothes first leaving her only in her bathing suit. The rest of the group, also clad in their bathing suits underneath their normal clothes, stripped off their outer layers and plunged into the ocean waters.

They seemed to lose track of time as they threw one another into oncoming waves and splashed each other. By the time they emerged from the water, they were tired and hungry. They waited several minutes to dry off then they dressed themselves in their outer layers of clothing and headed for the boardwalk.

The group stopped by Nathan's Hot Dogs for some lunch. When they got in line, Steve and Thor were arguing as to whom could each more hot dogs. Once they got to the front of the line, Steve and Thor were so deep in the argument that Clint decided the only way to settle it was to have a hot dog eating contest. The boys ordered nearly 40 hot dogs, and Steve and Thor were determined to settle this argument.

Once the girls also got their food, they headed to a table outside the hot dog stand and Steve and Thor started prepping for their competition. Steve and Thor were given 20 hot dogs each, and the girls started the countdown. On one, Steve and Thor began shoving hot dogs into their mouths. By the sixth hot dog, Steve looked like he was about to puke and puke he did. By this time, Thor was on his twelfth hot dog. Therefore, Thor won.

"He just got lucky," Steve huffed as he wiped his mouth.

By the time the group had finished eating, the attractions were open and operating. They started walking down the boardwalk, trying to decide what to do first.

"Oh Steve, win me a stuffed bear!" Peggy squealed as they passed by a game stand.

Steve pulled her over and they began to compete for a cheap stuffed bear. They left Steve and Peggy at the game stand and continued walking. One by one, the group began to dissipate as they got distracted by the lights and sounds of the game stands. For the remainder of the afternoon, the group spent their time competing for cheap teddy bears and stuffed animals. By 5:00, they regrouped and decided that they were hungry.

"As long as it's not hot dogs, I'm okay with whatever we pick," Steve said.

They stopped at a food stand and grabbed fries, burgers, and chicken tenders and stationed themselves against the railing of the boardwalk since there were no available tables. Once they were finished, they also grabbed ice cream to cool themselves down after the exhausting day they had.

They made their way to the rides and they stood there looking around in awe. If they couldn't decide what they wanted to do first on the boardwalk, they were completely clueless as to what they wanted to ride first. They made their way through the crowd and got in line for a random ride.

They spent the rest of the night running back and forth to various rides, but never to the _Wonder Wheel_, Coney's Island's Ferris wheel. Both Jane and Peggy cited a fear of heights for the reason to not go on it, but around the time the sun was setting, Thor and Steve had coaxed them into standing in line for the ride.

Clint and Natasha were left in the front of the line, awaiting their carriage, after Thor and Jane had piled into their own carriage. The wheel turned and a carriage holding a family of four unloaded, allowing Clint and Natasha to step in. It was perfect; they had the carriage to themselves.

The wheel turned and they were instantly hovering several feet in the air on the outer edge of the wheel. They were almost to the very top when they got a perfect view of the sunset over the ocean.

"Beautiful," Clint whispered.

"It is, isn't it?" Natasha agreed as she rested her arms on the edge of the carriage.

"I wasn't talking about the sunset."

Natasha turned to Clint, and blushed. "Clint, come on. Don't do this."

"What? I can't tell the truth?" he asked innocently.

"You know what I mean," she said sternly.

They sat in silence for quite some time. During the silence, their carriage had managed to reach the very top of the Ferris wheel and was at a standstill. The silence was deafening, and since it was only the two of them, Clint had to say something.

"Nat, are you mad?" Clint asked, concerned.

"No, I'm not mad. No wait, yes, I am mad," she said.

"Why are you mad?"

She let out a sigh and shifted in her seat to face Clint. "You and your parents are the ones who said we couldn't date for a year, and yet here you are just making it painfully dreadful to avoid it."

She returned to her original seated position and crossed her arms across her chest. It was almost as if she was pouting.

"What if we just didn't tell them?" Clint suggested. "We could do a secret relationship like Tony and Pepper and then when the year is up, we just tell them."

Natasha let out a laugh to show that she rejected his idea. "Just to let you know, I really like your parents and I really don't want to piss them off by going against something they advised us to do."

"Nat," he said softly, which made her turn her head to face him. "I can't stop feeling the way I do about you. I think about you all the time when you're not around. This isn't just a friendship anymore because…because…"

He trailed off and took a deep breath. "Because I'm in love with you."

Natasha's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Did she still have ocean water stuck in her ear? If so, the salt was probably clogging up her ears. Yeah, that was probably the problem.

"W-what?" she managed to choke out.

"You heard me," he said firmly.

"Clint, stop joking around," Natasha said, her voice shaking slightly.

"I'm not joking and I will never joke about this."

She couldn't take this anymore. It suddenly felt like the Ferris wheel carriage was closing in on her. Her parents never told her they loved her, so Natasha was having a hard time accepting the fact that someone actually did love her.

"You can't act like you don't love me too but I know you do," Clint said, pulling Natasha out of her thoughts. "You said it yourself that day we were talking about why Alexei was so angry at the masquerade ball."

"You're so egotistical. How do you even know I was talking about you?" Natasha said defensively.

"I'm not stupid Natasha."

It was true. Clint was the person she was talking about that day, but she never thought he would feel the same way. She loved her parents – even though they were a couple of dysfunctional assholes – but not once did they return the affection. At this thought, she began to cry.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I take it all back. I didn't mean to upset you," Clint said nervously as he watched the tears rolls down her cheeks.

Clint enveloped her into a hug and she instantly began to calm down. Right here, in Clint's arms, is where she belonged, where she felt safe and sound. She turned her body so that she was facing Clint but still being held tight in his arms. All she wanted was his lips on hers, and for him to never let her go.

"Okay," she whispered. "I promise we'll make this work."

Clint smiled because that's all that he wanted to hear. He leaned in and kissed her passionately as the Ferris wheel gave a sickening lurch and began its decent.

* * *

**What? Craziness! Like I said, I had a bit of writer's block so that's why the quality isn't as great as it usually is and why it's all over the place. But I hope you guys liked it anyways!**

**As always, thanks for the reviews, adding this to your favorite stories, adding me to your favorite authors, and signing up for alerts. And, as usual, please review! I enjoy reading what you guys think. It puts a smile on my face while I'm at my miserable job haha.**


	10. Meet the Parents

**I keep getting writer's block. I'm seriously making up this story as it goes along except for a select few parts so if some chapters are really boring, I'm sorry. Either way, here's chapter 10!**

* * *

It was hard for Clint and Natasha to keep up appearances as best friends in front of Clint's parents. Sometimes they would forget that they couldn't hold hands or cuddle on the couch. They would hear one of Clint's parents about the reenter a room and they would quickly scramble to be seated on the couch with a decent amount of space between them.

Somehow it had also managed to slip their minds to tell Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane that they were secretly dating. They had accomplished keeping it a secret for a couple weeks following the trip to Coney Island but Clint blew their cover one day when the group met up at the local cinema to catch a movie. Clint had greeted Natasha with a quick hello kiss on the lips. When he pulled back, he thought she would be happy to see him, but instead, he was greeted with a look of complete shock in her eyes. That's when he realized that they had an audience and they were watching.

"Good God Clint!" Thor boomed.

"What the hell Clint!" Steve yelled, while Peggy and Jane squealed with delight.

"Whoops," Clint said, flushing a deep shade of red.

"You are in so much trouble later," Natasha whispered as they made their way to the box office to buy their tickets.

* * *

Summer passed with sweltering heat and intense thunderstorms. Before Clint knew it, it was the first day of school once again. Summer had been eventful. Aside from his secret relationship with Natasha, Clint had managed to successfully earn his driver's license, and since Barney would not be allowed to have a car at college, Clint was granted the keys while Barney was away.

The first day back to school after a relaxing summer was always the hardest. Clint had managed to hit his snooze button five times before he realized he didn't have Barney to come in and wake him up so they wouldn't be late. It was his responsibility to get his lazy ass out of bed and get ready for school.

Clint could tell just by the way he was moving that he was going to be late picking Natasha up from her house. He knew that eating a bowl of cereal was just going to make him even later, but he couldn't deny the protests from his stomach. Once he was finished, he glanced at the clock on the stove and rushed up the stairs to grab his backpack, and then flew down the stairs and out the door. Natasha was going to be pissed.

By the time he had reached, Natasha's house, her parents' cars were gone and they had 15 minutes to get to school before it started for the day. As he pulled into the driveway, he noticed Natasha on the front porch, balancing on her forearms with her body contorted into a half moon shape, her legs arcing above her head.

"Nat, what are you doing?" Clint called out of the driver's side window.

"The Scorpion," she called back. "Leave me alone!"

"We have 13 minutes to get to school. We've gotta go!"

She slowly lowered her body to the ground and began to roll up the mat she had been using. At T-minus 10 minutes, Natasha was loaded into the car, ready to go to school. Clint leaned over and pecked her on the cheek and then quickly pulled the car out of her driveway.

"What was that thing you were doing on the porch?" Clint asked Natasha as he turned onto the highway.

"Yoga. I do it practically every morning," she said, watching as the landscape whizzed by her window.

"Since when?"

"Hmmm, maybe a couple years now?" she pondered.

"It's pretty cool," Clint said as he merged onto the exit ramp.

"It's a pretty good way to get motivated in the morning. You should try it since you can't manage to be on time," she teased.

Clint snorted a laugh. "Yeah right, can you see me doing the Scorpio or whatever that move was."

"The Scorpion," she corrected him. "You're such a wuss."

Clint turned the car into the student parking lot at Stroudsburg High School and parked into a parking spot. Natasha quickly unloaded out of the car, hastily grabbing her backpack with her.

"Hey!" Clint called after her from across the roof of the car. She was already headed to the school, walking at a brisk pace.

She turned around, walking backwards, and smiled. "What?"

"I don't get a kiss?" he asked.

She smiled, still walking backwards. "Go to homeroom Barton!" With that, she turned around and started to jog to the school entrance, leaving Clint alone in the deserted student parking lot.

* * *

This school year was going to be better for Clint and Natasha. Not only did they have lunch together – as well as chemistry with Dr. Selvig since Natasha decided to take two science classes – but the manager at Natasha's job decided to take it easy on her hours. Natasha didn't mind. Sure she needed the money, but as long as she still worked at least three days out of the week, she was fine with it. The cutback on Natasha's hours meant that Clint and Natasha had more time to spend together. Clint still had football practice after school and games on the weekends, but they would still manage to find a way to spend time together.

Clint and Natasha seemed to fall into a daily routine. With the exception of the first day, Clint would usually get to Natasha's house a half hour before they had to go to school and they would eat breakfast together. Sure they would each only eat a bowl of cereal but it was still breakfast.

However, it wasn't until nearly the end of September that Clint noticed that Natasha's parents were never there. Clint would always arrive at Natasha's house by at least quarter after seven, and Natasha said that they were always gone way before she got up at 6:30.

Clint had always noticed that he had never seen her parents. Ever since they were kids, they had been an enigma. Natasha would only mention them in passing or if they had another fight. Otherwise, Clint had never met them, or even seen them.

Now that he was actually dating Natasha, he wondered if he should mention to her that it would only be right that he met her parents. He really didn't want to bring it up, seeing as talking about her parents was always a touchy subject for her and she always got extremely defensive. But Clint respected Natasha, so it would only be right to make sure that he met her parents so they knew exactly who their daughter was dating.

"Absolutely not!" Natasha had said when Clint asked her if he could meet her parents.

"I don't want them to think I'm a bad person," Clint said.

She let out an aggravated sigh. "Fine," she said testily. "I'll ask them, but if a dinner plate gets thrown at my head, it's going to be your fault."

* * *

It wasn't until the middle of October when Natasha had told Clint that she had managed to talk to her parents about him meeting them. She told Clint that a dinner was set for later in the week, on Saturday night. Clint had to admit he was nervous. No, not nervous, he was scared. Clint had heard one too many stories about how dishes were thrown and her father usually got slapped by her mother. He had hoped he wouldn't be the reason a fight would break out during dinner.

On Saturday night, Clint drove to Natasha's house in a nervous haze. He was dressed in a simple pair of black pants, a red shirt, and a tie. He didn't want to be over dressed, yet he didn't want to be under dressed, so he was pretty sure he was right in the middle.

When he pulled into Natasha's driveway, both of her parents' cars were there, and for a split second, he had hoped they wouldn't be. The fact that he had never met them before was probably the problem. Clint had known Natasha since he was in first grade. Most kids would know their friends' parents, but Clint had never even seen her parents. Meeting them for the first time, especially under the circumstances, scared Clint right to his core.

He got out of the car and slowly made his way up the porch steps. He hesitated to ring the doorbell but eventually he did. He heard footsteps on the other side of the door and prayed that it would be Natasha who opened the door. Fortunately, it was. She was dressed in a black skirt with black tights and a red satin top. Her hair was in its usual curled style which just brushed her shoulders.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he said, trying to hide how nervous he was. Clearly it didn't work since Natasha walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"They're calm, for now," she said into his chest. "Just, please, don't say anything stupid."

Clint nodded, and she took him by the hand and pulled him into the house. It seemed strange to be in her house while her parents were actually present. It almost seemed different. She continued to pull him by the hand, leading the way throughout the house, until they reached the kitchen. Sure enough, there they were, slaving over a hot dinner. Clint had to do a double take because he wasn't really sure if he was really seeing this.

"Mom? Dad?" Natasha said. Clint felt his heart skip a beat, and not in the way Natasha usually makes it skip a beat. No, he was nervous as hell.

They turned around and greeted Clint with smiles. He wasn't sure if they were genuine or not, so he returned the smile.

"Oh Clint, it's so nice to finally meet you," Natasha's mother said, approaching him and kissing him on both cheeks.

"I-it's nice to finally meet you too, Mrs. Romanoff," Clint managed to choke out.

Meeting her mother wasn't so bad, Clint realized. It was her father that he was so scared to meet. He was quite an intimidating guy, and Clint wasn't sure if it was safe to look him in the eye. Mr. Romanoff approached Clint, and held out his hand so Clint could shake it.

"I-it's very nice to finally meet you, Mr. Romanoff," Clint said, shaking Natasha's father's hand.

"Mr. Barton, I trust you've been treating my daughter well?" Mr. Romanoff said, crossing his arms.

"Y-yes, sir. We've been best friends for years, and I wouldn't treat her any differently now."

Natasha's father nodded, but didn't say anything else. Natasha's mother broke the tension and ushered everyone to the table to begin dinner. There were four chairs at the table, one positioned on each side of the table. Natasha pointed to the seat on the adjacent side to hers, and he took a seat. Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff brought in the dishes of food and set them in the center of the table, and then took their seats.

"Please, help yourself Clint," Mrs. Romanoff said cheerily, gesturing to the various bowls and platters of food.

The Romanoffs and Clint piled food onto their plates and began eating in silence. The only sounds that filled the room were the scraping of utensils upon plates. Clint had expected it to be awkward, but not this awkward.

"How old are you, Clint?" Natasha's father grunted. The sound of his voice almost made Clint fall out of his seat.

"I'll be 17 in February, sir," Clint said as he picked up his glass of water. As he did, he noticed his hand was shaking. Was he really this nervous?

"I'm going to be short, simple, and to the point with you Mr. Barton. Do not try anything funny with my daughter. Do you understand?"

Clint was about to answer when Natasha's mother cut in. "Now dear, now's not the time to be making _threats_," she said with an edge to her voice.

"I'm just looking out for our daughter," her father said sternly.

"Well, I understand you're concerned but she's going to be 16 in November, I believe she's responsible and mature enough to make her own decisions."

One comment after another, Natasha's mother and father calmly argued back and forth. Clint glanced to his left and he noticed Natasha had her thumb and forefinger pinched to the bridge of her nose and she was shaking her head back and forth. Clearly this was only the calm before the storm.

"It's just my understanding Mr. Barton has made our lovely daughter cry on several occasions. Do we really want that to continue happening?" Clint heard Natasha's father say.

"I'm sorry, but you've got it all wrong," Clint chimed in. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Natasha shaking her head as if to tell him to shut up. It had to be said, and he was going to continue.

"Natasha has cried a couple of times in my presence because of things that you have said to her. I'm quite possibly the only person she can tell them to because she trusts me.

"_And_," he added. "Because I love her, unlike the two of you. You can say what you want about me and you can kick me out of your house, but it won't change the way I feel about her. I'll still love her, and I'll still feel sorry that she has too poor excuses for parents."

By the time Clint had finished, he had actually regretted what he said. He was almost sure Natasha's father was seeing red right now. Mr. Romanoff rose from his seat at the opposite end of the table and crossed the room to stand by Clint on the other side.

"Dad - ," Natasha started but her father held up a hand to silence her.

"No one talks to me like that in my own house," Mr. Romanoff said pointing a finger at Clint. "I will not be made fun of, and I will not be called a poor excuse for a parent."

Clint gulped. He didn't even notice he was gripping the arms of the chair so hard that his knuckles were white. It was almost as if he was bracing for the impact of a plate being thrown at his head.

"But," Natasha's father continued. "You have charisma. You have guts. And you've made our daughter the happiest person in this household. Even amidst our financial troubles and constant bickering, she comes home as if she's walking on cloud nine, and we instantly know that she was with you.

"So understand this Barton, do not make a fool of me in my house ever again. But you have guts, boy, and I like that," Mr. Romanoff said and he returned to his seat at the opposite end of the table. Natasha let out the breath that she was holding in, and Clint loosened his grip on the arms of the chair.

"Now, honey, you didn't have to make a scene," Mrs. Romanoff said.

"Oh for Christ's sake Vera!"

Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff started bickering until the actual arguing ensued. When Mrs. Romanoff tossed her glass of wine into her husband's face that was Natasha's cue for her to pick up her dinner plate and Clint's and finish their dinner in her bedroom.

* * *

**So we've finally met Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff and they're still as terrible as Natasha makes them out to be lol. I hope I didn't disappoint you guys with a boring chapter, but Natasha's sixteenth birthday is coming up and Clint has something very special planned. Thanks to PaigeD6 for the idea ;).**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. As always, I love reading what you guys think so please review this chapter. It puts a smile on my face when you guys freak out like I do haha.**


	11. Sixteen

**Alright you guys, here it is...chapter 11! Just a quick disclaimer, I do not own the lyrics to the song (which you will find out what it is when you read this chapter). I will just say that they belong to Coldplay.**

* * *

Several days following the meeting with Natasha's parents, Clint insisted that they hang out at his house every day. Clint always feared that Natasha's parents would be home more often now that they've met him to make sure he wouldn't do anything to Natasha that they didn't like. Either that or he feared they rigged the house with cameras and recording devices. Both scenarios were equally terrifying. It took a lot of persuasion to get Clint to finally return to her house for breakfast in the morning, but Natasha eventually coaxed him into falling back into their daily routine.

Before Clint knew it, it was the last week of October and November was just around the corner, which also meant that Natasha's sixteenth birthday was just around the corner as well. Clint had no idea what to get her. He couldn't just get her something out of the blue now that they were dating. It had to mean something.

"Why don't you sing her a song?" Steve suggested one day at lunch. Clint had asked Thor, Steve, Peggy, and Jane what they had thought he should get her. Clint realized that this would be the only chance he had to talk about it since Natasha was in the chemistry lab finishing up an assignment with Bruce Banner and Dr. Selvig.

Clint snorted a laugh. "Come on Steve, I haven't sung since pre-school. I probably sound like a cat getting strangled by its owner now."

"You'll never know until you try," Peggy said, slightly giggling with giddiness. She was clearly on board for this idea.

"We'll help you," Jane chimed in.

"Come on Clint. Natasha will love it since she doesn't know you can sing," Steve said.

"Yes she'll be surprised but we don't know if I can still sing," Clint said.

"If you could sing before, you can still sing," Jane said. Clearly she was on Steve and Peggy's side of the argument.

"Puberty works in strange ways, Jane," Clint protested.

"Come on, it will be romantic," Jane whined.

"What will be romantic?" Natasha said as she and Bruce slammed their backpacks onto the table and took their seats

"Uh, if I did this," Thor said, as he dipped Jane, still in her seat, and planted a long, passionate kiss on her lips. He pulled her back up so that she was seated in an upright position, but she looked like she was about to pass out.

"Y-yeah, that was r-romantic," Jane said, her voice shaking.

Steve and Clint quickly changed the subject and it stayed that way until the bell dismissed them from the lunch room. Clint grabbed his backpack and tried his hardest to avoid Steve, but he felt a tug on his backpack that kept him from moving forward. Clint turned around and he was face to face with Clint and Thor.

"Don't think you're off the hook Clint. You _will_ sing a song to Natasha for her birthday, and we're going to help you," Steve said.

* * *

It was hard to get together with Steve and Thor to prepare this performance for Natasha's birthday, which was in a week. If Clint wasn't at football practice, he was with Natasha. Clint couldn't just make up an excuse to not hang out with Natasha because she would know something was up.

Clint, Steve, and Thor had one chance during the week before Natasha's birthday to work on this performance. It was a Tuesday night. Natasha was working late and it was the only day of the week that Clint, Steve, and Thor didn't have football practice. Peggy and Jane also volunteered to lend their musical instrument playing abilities to the performance.

It took nearly an hour for the group to decide what song Clint would be performing for Natasha. Peggy and Jane threw in a couple sappy love songs into the mix while Steve and Thor tried to convince Clint that "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith would be the perfect song to perform. Clint shot all of these ideas down because he had decided it would be better to perform a song from a musician Natasha liked.

It was hard to choose because Natasha liked all kinds of musicians. Florence & the Machine was her favorite artist, but Clint knew he would never be able to hit the notes that Florence Welch could so that music was completely out of the question. He listed several other artists that Natasha liked, which included Lana Del Rey, Sleigh Bells, and Sara Bareilles, but none of them seemed to work for him.

Eventually Clint narrowed the list down and finally decided to perform "Fix You" by Coldplay. Clint certainly felt like the song fit the situation. Ever since Clint came into Natasha's life, it seemed as if he had made everything better for her, as if he had fixed everything broken in her. Her family and financial situation could never be mended, but he certainly made her feel like a better and happier person.

They had managed to get permission from the music department to use the auditorium and musical instruments for rehearsal; they would have to find their own means of performing the song on Natasha's birthday. Upon Clint's song selection, the group quickly erupted into rehearsal. Jane was slightly skilled in the guitar. Peggy was positioned at the piano, while Steve was on bass and Thor was on drums.

They rehearsed until 10:00 at night and by that time, they were exhausted. Clint's voice was sore, and Steve had a headache from Thor's incessant drum playing. As they walked out of the auditorium, Clint couldn't help but worry if Natasha would think it was stupid.

"Stop it Clint," Steve said, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "She's going to love it. If it has anything to do with you, she'll fall in love with it."

* * *

It was a chilly night on Natasha's birthday, and Clint shivered inside the gazebo for many reasons. No doubt Natasha would be mad at Clint since he had only sent her a "happy birthday" via text message once she had sent him one herself telling him that her parents had gotten her an iPhone for her birthday. He didn't call her and he ignored the rest of her text messages for fear that if he answered them or called her, he would spoil the surprise.

Clint had enlisted the help of Bruce Banner to transport her to the park where Clint would be performing her birthday song. Bruce was supposed to tell Natasha that Clint was running late for the birthday dinner Clint was supposedly taking her to, and he would bring her to the gazebo on the outskirts of the park.

Clint didn't quite know why he had chosen the gazebo in the park as the location for the performance. It would be 8:00 by the time Natasha would arrive so the park would definitely be deserted. The gazebo was located under a willow tree by the small lake. It felt so serene and beautiful so it seemed that that was the reason he had chosen it. However, Clint decided that the scenery wasn't complete without a trail of rose petals. Before they had gone to the park to set up for the performance, the group stopped by a local flower shop and bought several dozen roses to pluck the petals from. All of them were used with the exception of one perfect rose which Clint would present to Natasha upon the conclusion of the song.

Clint shivered again and glanced at his phone to check the time. It was 7:55. Bruce would be arriving any minute with Natasha. Sure enough, a couple minutes later and right on time, Clint saw a pair of headlights slowly coming around the bend. The group took their places to get ready with the music as soon as Natasha stepped out of the car and started walking towards the gazebo.

The car came to a halt and Natasha stepped out from the passenger side. From what he could see, Natasha was dressed in a pair of black tights and a red dress peeked out from underneath her black coat. She made her way towards the gazebo – which was illuminated by a couple strands of white Christmas lights Clint had dug out from storage in his garage – and she heard the first few bars of a song begin to play.

_Wait_, Clint thought. _I'm not ready. Oh God, I'm not ready for this!_

Clint was frozen with fear, so he couldn't manage to tell Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane to stop playing. However, Clint didn't quite know what he was doing when he started singing the first few bars.

_When you try your best, but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want, but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse_

It was pure adrenaline. He had never performed in front of anyone before. Sure he had played in many football games but that was a different kind of adrenaline rush. This was just him and only him, front and center.

_And the tears come streaming down your face_

_When you lose something you can't replace_

_When you love someone, but it goes to waste_

_Could it be worse?_

Natasha wasn't quite sure what she witnessing, but she had to admit that she felt her heart skip a beat when she heard Clint open his mouth and sing. She didn't quite expect what came out but what she heard made her weak in the knees.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

_Coldplay?_ She thought. _Is he singing Coldplay? Oh God, this just makes it ten times better!_

_And high up above or down below_

_When you're too in love to let it go_

_But if you never try you'll never know_

_Just what you're worth_

Clint was completely into this now. His heart was practically beating out of his chest, but he powered through it. This was for Natasha and only Natasha.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Natasha crossed her arms across her chest. It wasn't because she was cold or she was experiencing disappointment, she was trying to hold herself together.

_Tears stream down on your face_

_When you lose something you cannot replace_

_Tears stream down on your face_

_And I…_

She thought she was going to collapse right then and there on the gravel, but she held herself together. She held herself up because she wanted to see the rest of this. She _needed_ to see this.

_Tears stream down on your face_

_I promise you I will learn from my mistakes_

_Tears stream down on your face_

_And I…_

_This is it, Clint,_ Clint thought to himself. _It's almost over._

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

The last few bars of the song petered out and Clint grabbed the rose from on top of his backpack. He stepped down from the gazebo and slowly started to walk towards Natasha who looked like she was on the verge of collapse.

"Are you okay?" he said when he approached her.

"Yeah," she said, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat and continued, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Clint smiled and handed her the rose. She accepted it and smelled it, inhaling the intoxicating scent.

"So, I take it we're not going to dinner?" she teased.

Clint chuckled. "No we're not, unless you really want to."

"No," she said with a slight smile. "Did you really do all this for me?"

"No, I did it for Bruce," Clint joked.

Natasha wrapped her arms around Clint's neck and looked up into his eyes. She would never get tired of those blue-grey eyes.

"I loved it," she said.

"Yeah?" Clint said, surprised.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" she said, arching one of her eyebrows.

"I just thought you'd be mad at me since I practically avoided contact with you all day."

"Given recent circumstances, I think you're forgiven."

"Good, so I guess that means I can do this…" he trailed off as he leaned in to kiss her full on the lips. Clint brought his hands up to cup her face with her hands; he knew how she liked when he did that. They grew deeper into the kiss, hardly breaking away because they didn't want it to end. It wasn't until they heard Steve's voice from behind them that they broke away.

"Get a room you two!"

They broke away from the kiss and Natasha giggled.

"Happy birthday Nat," Clint whispered and gave her one quick peck on the lips before leading her through the trail of rose petals to join the rest of their friends in the gazebo.

* * *

**I'm just going to say this. "Fix You" by Coldplay is the song I was thinking of when I was brainstorming this fanfiction so that's why it's called _Fix You_ haha.**

**As always, thanks for signing up for alerts, adding this to your favorites, and reviewing this story. I really should come up with a generic version of this to copy and paste every time I post a chapter because I'm tired of always typing it over and over again. And yes, please review this chapter. I work a long shift tomorrow so I need some awesome reviews to brighten my day haha.**


	12. The Talk

**I think you guys are going to really enjoy this chapter. I know I did. I was laughing the entire time but I'm just lame like that haha. By the way (SPOILER ALERT!), for those of you that are Jeremy Renner fans but have not seen _The Town_, his character does die in the movie. I only mention this because Clint and Natasha watch _The Town_ in this chapter haha. But anyways, here is chapter 12! Enjoy!**

* * *

Natasha was absolutely fascinated over the fact that Clint knew how to sing. Every chance she had, she would shout out a song for Clint to sing for her. One moment he would be singing "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5, the next he would be singing "Empire State of Mind" by Billy Joel. It was as if Clint was Natasha's own personal jukebox. By the end of November, the novelty had worn off, but Natasha was still intrigued.

Since November was coming to a close, Clint and Natasha realized that they could finally come clean with their relationship to Clint's parents. Natasha was scared that they wouldn't like her anymore, but Clint reassured her that if they were going to hate one of them, it would most likely be Clint.

Clint and Natasha decided on a day after school to tell Clint's parents. Natasha would catch a ride home with Clint like she usually did, and they would tell them then. Natasha's leg was constantly bouncing up and down in the car and Clint tried to calm her down to no avail. By the time they arrived at Clint's house, Natasha was biting her nails and her leg was actually making the car shake.

It took a while to coax Natasha out of the car and into the house, but eventually she got out of car and followed Clint into the house, hanging her head in shame. Clint's parents were home early today. Natasha had hoped they wouldn't be and they could forgo the entire conversation altogether, but lo and behold, they were home and there was no way Natasha would be escaping this one.

Clint led her through the house by the hand until she pulled back outside of the kitchen. Clint gave her a reassuring look and then gently took her by the hand again and pulled her into the kitchen. Clint's mom and dad were both seated at the kitchen table, important paperwork from their jobs scattered in front of them. It was clearly a bad time but Clint persisted.

"Mom? Dad? Can we talk to you?" Clint said.

Clint's parents raised their heads and looked at Clint and Natasha. Natasha realized that she and Clint were still holding hands and she quickly snatched her hand out of his.

"Everything alright Clint?" Mrs. Barton asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Everything's great," Clint said with a smile.

_How is he so confident right now?_ Natasha thought.

"Remember how you said that Natasha and I could date in a year following the masquerade ball?"

Clint's parents nodded so Clint continued. "Well, we couldn't quite wait that long, so we've kind of been dating since the trip to Coney Island."

"I'm so sorry!" Natasha blurted out before she swiftly covered her mouth with her hands.

Clint's parents laughed at Natasha's sudden outburst, but quickly composed themselves. They were calm but they were clearly displeased.

"Well, we're certainly disappointed in you Clint," Clint's mother said. "But I guess you guys have handled the relationship with maturity so far, so there's no need for punishment."

"Barney has done worse," Clint's father mumbled.

"Right," Clint's mother agreed. "And Natasha, honey, you can calm down. The world isn't coming to an end."

Natasha was still standing next to Clint with her hands clasped over her mouth. She feared that if she took them away she would have another outburst. With Mrs. Barton's encouragement, she removed her hands from her mouth and Clint gently slipped his hand into hers.

"I've got to admit, you two are quite clever," Clint's father said. "Keeping this whole relationship secret for several months is quite a feat."

Mrs. Barton turned to Mr. Barton and smacked him in the shoulder; she, clearly, was not pleased with this statement.

"Just don't lie to us again," Mrs. Barton said, turning back to Clint and Natasha. She then dismissed them from the kitchen so she and Mr. Barton could finish their paperwork.

* * *

Natasha had to admit that having the weight of the secret relationship off of her shoulders felt tremendous. Her biggest fear of the outcome of the conversation was that Clint's parents wouldn't like her as much as they used to but they treated her and liked her all the same. Clint found it a lot easier to talk about Natasha to his parents. Before they had revealed that they were dating, Clint's parents would ask questions about Natasha and Clint had to be careful he didn't let anything slip that would give away that they were secretly dating. Now, he could talk freely about her.

Barney was the last one to find out about Clint's relationship with Natasha. When he returned home from college for winter break, Clint told him during a brotherly bonding session the two boys decided to have at one in the morning the first night Barney was home.

"Alright Clint!" Barney said in approval. "It's about time!"

Despite his brother being home, Clint still spent the majority of his time with Natasha. Though his brother was a great person to hang out with, Barney had his own friends to play catch up with. Clint's parents were still completely supportive of the relationship, and had even invited Natasha over for Christmas Eve dinner. They had always seen Natasha as part of the family and now that Clint and Natasha were officially dating, it only seemed right to invite her over for holiday festivities. Natasha politely declined, claiming she and her parents were spending Christmas in New York with her grandparents.

The great thing about Natasha and Clint publicly dating now put Natasha in a better place with her grandparents. Though Clint was no corporate business heir, they were still approving of her relationship and thought she had found a fine young man that made her happy. The fact that her grandparents had somewhat approved of Clint made him feel a little more at ease that Natasha wouldn't be pawned off to marry some Russian boy she barely knew.

Natasha's absence frustrated Clint. Of course the school district was on winter break and he could easily hang out with Steve and Thor if he wanted to, but the absence and the distance between Clint and Natasha absolutely killed him. He couldn't wait for her to get back.

Natasha returned from New York two days after Christmas – sans parents – and Clint was absolutely thrilled. He gave her a day to unpack and organize her things before he called her in the morning the day after he return. When she answered the phone, she didn't sound too good. Her throat sounded scratchy. There was a cough here and there and she sneezed a lot.

"I feel like shit," she said. "I must have caught a cold from one of my cousins during the trip."

Clint asked her when her parents were returning from New York, and she said she wasn't sure.

"Well then I'm coming over," Clint insisted.

"No, you'll get sick too. It'll pass in a couple days," Natasha said, trying cover up a sneeze.

"I'm not going to wait a couple days to see you," Clint said. "Your parents aren't home and you don't know when they're coming back."

"They said probably a couple days after New Year's," she said, trying to suppress a cough but failed miserably.

"Either way, you're not going to sit at home, sick and by yourself," Clint said. Natasha protested several more times, insisting that she was 16-years-old and could take care of herself but Clint was persistent as well. Though Natasha knew she wouldn't be able to handle a couple days without seeing Clint, she didn't want to pass off the germs to him. Sure they were dating and they swapped saliva all the time, but she didn't want to see him as sick she was right now.

Clint asked Barney if he could borrow his car, and Barney obliged. Tony was coming over so the boys could share college stories so Barney didn't need the car. Before Clint went to Natasha's house, he swung by the grocery store to grab a few essentials. Tissues, cold medicine, cough drops, the works. He didn't know if Natasha had anything stocked in her house to fight off a cold so he bought everything he could possibly find. He also bought chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate. That was sure to make Natasha feel better.

When he got to Natasha's house and rang the door bell, she answered mid-cough. She was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and a pair of pajamas pants. She was clearly still wearing her pajamas from last night by the looks of how wrinkled they were.

"Hi," she croaked.

Clint leaned in to kiss her but Natasha moved her head to the side and said, "Not on the lips."

Clint kissed her on the forehead and she gestured for him to take a step into the house. She started coughing behind him, and ended the streak with a sneeze.

"Jesus Nat," he said.

"Shut up Barton," she said icily. A sickly Natasha was a hostile Natasha.

Clint made his way into the living room and saw that the couch was a mess of thick blankets and a few used tissues. Natasha plopped herself down on the couch and pulled a fuzzy blanket over herself. Clint sat down on the couch, gathering up some of the used tissues and placing them on the coffee table.

"Don't touch those. They're loaded with my germs," Natasha demanded. Clint just shrugged and reached down into his bag to pull out the items he had bought at the grocery store. He handed her the cough drops and the cold medicine.

"You went to the grocery store?" she asked, taking the items from him. She tore open the box of cold medicine and ripped off the cellophane wrapping to pour the liquid from the bottle into the plastic measuring cup. She downed the contents with a satisfied moan.

Clint laughed. "Yeah, I wasn't sure if you had any cold stuff here so I figured I would stop by the store and get some."

She ripped open the bag of cough drops and unwrapped one and popped it in her mouth.

"I also bought chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate _and_ I brought movies," he said, pulling the various items out of his backpack.

"You're too good to me," she said with a half smile, and Clint returned the smile. Clint got up and went into the kitchen to make two cups of hot chocolate for him and Natasha. When he finished he returned to the living room and found Natasha rooting through his bag to find the movies he brought.

"_Bridesmaids_?" she asked, half-laughing. "You like _Bridesmaids_?"

"Kristen Wiig's hilarious," he said handing her the mug of hot chocolate and kissing her on the top of her head. Natasha searched through the movies and landed on one that she had never seen before.

"Let's watch this one," Natasha said, handing him the movie. He grabbed the case and looked at it.

"_The Town_? You want to watch _The Town_?" he asked. Of all the movies he brought, she wanted to watch the manliest one.

"Yeah, Jeremy Renner's a hottie," Natasha joked. "You kind of look like him, you know."

Clint rolled his eyes at Natasha's comment and got up to pop the movie into the DVD player. They sat there on the couch watching the movie. Natasha was wrapped up in her various blankets, while Clint sat with her legs draped across his lap. Natasha seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the movie until, towards the end, when Jeremy Renner's character was killed.

"That's bullshit! It's always the pretty ones that get killed the worst ways," she pouted, crossing her arms.

Clint laughed. "I guess I've got some competition."

Natasha unwrapped herself from the pile of blankets and crawled over to Clint's end of the couch and hugged him.

"Jeremy Renner's hot but he doesn't compare to you," she mumbled. Clint wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Clint spent the rest of the night holding Natasha in his arms, only letting go of her when he would get up to change the movie in the DVD player once they finished one. It was about 10:00 at night and they were halfway through watching _Superbad_ when Clint realized Natasha's head was resting against his chest and her breathing had slowed to a steady pace. Well, as steady as it could be since her airways were blocked by disgusting bodily mucus.

Clint scooped her up from the couch and carried her to her bedroom. He gently laid her down and pulled the blankets on top of her. He was about to go back into the living and clean up before he left a note for Natasha that he headed home when she suddenly tugged on his hand.

"Clint?" she said exhaustingly.

"Yeah Nat?" he said, looking down at her half asleep form.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" He had to admit that he was going to have a hard time denying her. They had spent the entire day together watching movies and he had basically taken care of her. He knew that his parents would probably be mad if he stayed over, but it beat getting pulled over by the cops after 11:00 when the law clearly stated that anyone under 18 shouldn't be on the roads after 11:00 at night.

"Yeah Nat, I'll stay," he said, stripping off his sweatshirt and kicking off his sneakers before climbing under the covers with her. She rolled over and rested her head on his chest, just like she did when they were sitting on the couch. He wrapped an arm around her as she let out a sigh. It didn't take long for either one of them to fall asleep because in each other's arms is where they belonged. It felt like home.

* * *

Sunlight was streaming through the window in Natasha's bedroom, and Clint glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It read 8:47. Clint knew it was far too early to be awake, at least for Natasha in her condition. She needed her rest, so Clint just laid there holding her with her head resting against his chest and staring at the ceiling.

It wasn't much later when Clint felt his phone vibrate in his jeans pocket. He wriggled around, trying his hardest not to wake Natasha, and pulled his phone out. The screen flashed "Home," which meant that either one of his parents was calling to find out where he was. He probably should have called them before he fell asleep at Natasha's house to tell them he was staying there for the night.

He slid his finger against the screen to answer the call and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Clint Barton, where are you?_" his mother screeched from the other end of the line.

He had to hold the phone away from his ear for a second to regain hearing. He glanced down at Natasha to see if his mother's screaming had woke her up. She was still fast asleep.

"I'm at Natasha's," he said.

"_You get your ass home this instant, Clinton!_" And with that, the line went dead.

His mother was definitely pissed, and he had to get home right away before she came over to Natasha's and dragged him home herself. Clint tried his hardest to slip out of bed without waking Natasha but his plan didn't work. She rolled over and rubbed her eyes. When she opened her eyes and saw Clint she smiled.

"Oh hey," she said sleepily. "You're still here."

"Yeah, and I'd hate to do this but I've got to go. I'm in a shit load of trouble with my mom."

"Oh, sorry. I should've never asked you to stay," she said.

"No, it's fine, but I've got to go, okay?" he said.

She nodded and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips, not even caring if he caught her germs or not, and rushed out into the living room to hastily gather up his belongings. As much as he didn't want to go home and face his parents, he still drove home at a speedy rate. When he pulled into the driveway, his mother was waiting on the front porch, tapping her foot and her arms crossed. She did not look pleased.

"Get in the house Clint, we need to have a little talk," she said, more calmly than she did on the phone.

Clint sluggishly climbed the steps and stepped over the threshold and into the foyer. His mother slammed the door behind her. She put his hands on his shoulders and guided him to the living room, where his father was sitting. Clint did not like this one bit.

Clint took a seat on the couch facing his parents. They sat in complete silence for a few minutes before his father broken the tension.

"Now Clint, we give you a lot of leniency when it comes to hanging out with friends and after school activities," Clint's father started.

"But now with you and Natasha dating, we had hoped that you would still respect that," Mrs. Barton interjected.

"Before you punish me, can I please give you my side of the story?" Clint asked politely, his hands held up in defense.

Clint's father gestured for him to continue.

"We were just watching movies and it got late, so I decided it would be smart to stay over instead of breaking the law and driving after 11:00 and getting caught by a cop. I'm sorry I didn't call to tell you."

"Well, okay Clint. That's understandable but we were going to direct this conversation into…" Clint father trailed off.

"'The Talk,'" Mrs. Barton said sharply. "We're going to have 'The Talk.'"

It took a moment for it to click in Clint's mind what his mom meant by "The Talk," and when it did he couldn't believe they were actually going to go through with this.

"Did you think Natasha and I had sex last night?" Clint blurted out.

His parents flinched at the word "sex" but they shook their heads innocently.

"We're not making assumptions," Clint's father said defensively.

"But we couldn't be too sure," Clint's mother said.

"Look," Clint's father continued. "We don't want to be having this conversation as much as you don't want to be having it. We just want you to know that _if_ you did, ummm, you-know-what last night, we hope you were smart. And _if_ you are going to in the future - ."

"_If_, Clinton, do you understand that?" his mother said sharply, interrupting his father.

Clint nodded vigorously and his father continued. "_If_ you are going to in the future, we hope you'll be smart, whether it's with Natasha or some other girl. Just be smart, son."

Clint's father looked happy that the conversation was partially over but his mother was staring daggers at Clint.

"Just for the record," Clint said. "Natasha was really sick yesterday, and she still is. Her parents are still in New York so I took care of her. I don't think she was in any condition for me to, ummm, do you-know-what with her."

His parents were still completely silent. Their faces were completely unreadable, except he was pretty sure that the whole message his mother was going for in her look was death.

"Is this conversation over? Can I be excused?" he asked nervously.

Clint's father waved him off and Clint swiftly walked out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He closed the door and let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding in. He heard his door open, and he turned around and flinched instinctively, expecting his mother to lash out at him.

"So…did you fuck her?" Barney said, poking his head into Clint's room with a huge grin on his face.

Clint took off his shoe and chucked it at Barney's head. Barney quickly pulled his head out of the doorway, pulling the door shut as Clint's shoe collided with his bedroom door with a loud thud.

* * *

**And _that_, my friends, was the first F-bomb dropped in this story by a Mr. Barney Barton. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Lots of fluff but lots of humor (well, at least I thought it was funny but I'm the author so who knows haha).**

**As always, thanks for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Please review because I love reading what you guys think!**


	13. An Affair to Remember

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update last night. I had this chapter all written and everything but I didn't like how it went, so I scrapped that idea and went with this one. Sorry if this one also seems kind of choppy. Part of it is from the chapter I wrote last night so I'm sorry if it doesn't flow really well and if it isn't consistent. Also, the chapter name is the title of a classic movie but the chapter doesn't follow the plot of the movie. Just letting you guys know for those of you who may have seen _An Affair to Remember_. But anyways, I present to you...chapter 13.**

* * *

Following the conversation Clint had with his parents, he acted a little different around Natasha. Her cold had mostly disappeared within a couple days so she was back to normal, which meant more cuddling and more kissing. Clint felt strange being so close to her after getting a whole new perspective on their relationship from his parents.

Natasha could clearly tell that something was wrong with Clint. Every time she would reach to hold his hand or cuddle with him on the couch, he would either slightly tense up or seem distant. Natasha wasn't upset over it. There was clearly something on Clint's mind that was bugging him. It actually angered her that he didn't think she was worthy enough to share it with her.

After a couple days of trying to brush off his strange behavior, Natasha decided it was time to just flat out ask why he was acting so weird.

"Okay, cut the crap Clint. What's bugging you?" Natasha said dropping her fork to her dinner on her plate.

"Huh? What?" Clint said distantly.

"That! Why are you acting so strange?"

"I'm not acting strange," he said defensively.

"I'm not stupid, dumbass. There's something on your mind, and I would like to know what it is," Natasha demanded.

Clint wasn't sure if he should tell her about the conversation he had with his parents. He wasn't sure how she would take it. He didn't want to freak her out and make her think that all he wanted to do was sleep with her. Clint's mind did not work that way.

"Ummm…" he trailed off.

"Spit it out Clint!" she demanded.

"My parents had 'The Talk' with me."

Like Clint, it took Natasha a few seconds to process what he meant by "The Talk," and when she did, she burst into a fit of laughter.

"Stop Tasha, it's embarrassing!"

"_That's_ why you've been so distant lately?" she asked wiping tears from her face from laughing so hard.

"Yes," he muttered under his breath.

"Wow," she said. "Wow, wow, wow. You're really immature."

"Immature?"

"Did you think I'd be offended over the fact that your parents had 'The Talk' with you about us?" she asked. "I don't blame them. If I were them, I would go straight to the assumption that we had sex that night."

"Really?"

"Yeah, because if I wasn't deathly ill that night, I would've easily been able to seduce you," she joked.

Clint snorted a laugh. "Right, because the pretty little red head would be able to seduce the teenager that looks like Jeremy Renner."

She tossed a piece of her dinner from her plate at him. "Don't question it," she said with a half smile.

With that, the conversation was over and the air was cleared. However, Natasha couldn't help but wonder if Clint would ever see her in that way. They were teenagers whose raging hormones made them think in strange ways. Natasha was in no way ready to take the next step in their relationship, especially since they had only been dating for less than a year, but she desperately wanted to know if Clint saw her _that way_, or would ever see her _that way_. Sure they were dating but there was a definite difference and Natasha would find out one way or another.

* * *

Natasha's parents returned home three days after New Year's with fantastic news. Natasha had come home from school to find both of her parents' cars parked in the driveway, which was an unusual occurrence. When she had walked into the house, they were both sitting on the couch in the living room awaiting her return.

Natasha sat down in the arm chair diagonally across from her parents and positioned herself so that she was facing them. Apparently they hadn't stayed in New York City for an extended period of time because they wanted to spend more time with Natasha's grandparents. The real story was that they had both managed to get new jobs at some corporate business in the city. Her mother was going to work as a secretary for the CEO of the company while her father was going to work in the financial sector doing God knows what. Either way, their financial situation was going to greatly improve.

Natasha's parents had returned home to not only share the good news with Natasha but to also tell her that for the first couple months or so, she would basically be living on her own. They knew she was capable of it, but they just wanted to let her know that they would be around less often. Over time, Natasha's parents would be commuting into the city but for now, they had decided to stay at Natasha's grandparents' apartment to make it easier on them in the time management and financial department.

Natasha was thrilled for them and was perfectly okay with being on her own. If something were to go wrong, she had a great circle of people to depend on. Natasha's parents had informed her that they would be back every weekend to check on her and restock the house with groceries and basic necessities Natasha would need to survive.

Finally, her parents had also gotten extremely serious and informed her that she was not to do anything stupid while they were gone. This included neglecting to keep the house in order, doing anything illegal in or out of the house, and throwing parties. The list went on and on but Natasha knew better than to go against her parents' orders and ensured them that she would be on her best behavior.

* * *

Natasha had to admit that the first couple of weeks were rough without her parents. Sure they had always fought in front of Natasha and had left her alone in the house when she was far too young, but it was strange being in the house by herself during the week. At times she got a little paranoid. Every single thing that went bump in the night made her go stiff and she mentally prepared herself for fight or flight mode.

Clint could tell that being alone in her house bugged her, and he offered to let her stay at his house during the week if his parents were okay with it.

"Don't worry about me," she huffed. "I'm just paranoid."

Secretly, Natasha was just extremely nervous to stay at his house after his parents had "The Talk" with Clint. She was afraid that they would be under constant surveillance throughout the nights that she would stay there. She knew Clint was smart enough to avoid doing anything inappropriate, and Natasha knew better than to do something bad while Clint's parents were in the house. She still couldn't help but deny Clint's offer to stay at his house during the week.

After a couple more tries, Clint finally managed to convince Natasha to stay at his house during the school week. Every Sunday night, Natasha would pack a bag of clothes for the week and necessary toiletries and ride in the car with Clint over to his house. Of course Natasha lived only 10 minutes away and could go to her house any time she wanted, but she still found it easier to take everything with her for the week.

Clint felt a lot better having Natasha stay at his house during the week. He knew she was just slightly paranoid throughout the night, but he couldn't help but worry what if someone had actually broke into her house one night while she was sleeping. Clint knew that that baseball bat in the closet wouldn't be the best weapon against a burglar unless she was swift and quick.

The first week that Natasha stayed at Clint's house, she had insisted that she would be fine with sleeping on the couch, but Clint wouldn't have it – much to Clint's parents' dismay. Clint always insisted that he wouldn't try anything inappropriate, and they would proceed to create a makeshift bed on the floor of Clint's bedroom. Clint had tried to get her to sleep in his bed again while he took the floor, but she put up quite a fight and Clint decided to not persevere.

However, usually during the night, after Clint's parents had gone to bed, Natasha would climb into bed with Clint. They would get into the same position that they were in the night Clint stayed when Natasha was sick; her head would rest against his chest while he would wrap his arm around her. The best part about this was she was the first thing he saw when he woke up in the morning.

The fact that Clint didn't kick her out of his bed every night she crawled in with him made her feel a little better about this whole "The Talk" situation. Maybe he really did see her in _that way_. Not that she wanted it to happen anytime soon but it made her feel a little better about herself.

Every time the school week came to its close, Natasha dreaded returning home to see her parents. These new jobs had certainly put them in better moods, and her mom and dad were starting to get along better. They say money can't buy happiness, but for Natasha's family, she felt like money – or lack thereof – was the reason her parents had fought in the past. They got along a lot better now than they did before.

To tell the truth, Natasha was a little happier to see her parents when they came home on the weekends. The only problem was that unless she was working, they wanted to spend time with her, which left for very little time for her to spend with Clint. Sure they practically lived with each other during the week, but she didn't like that she didn't get to see him for almost three whole days. She was always relieved when her parents left for the city on Sunday nights and she could return to Clint's house.

It was a weekend in the beginning of April when only Natasha's father had returned home for the weekend. He had told Natasha that her mother wasn't feeling well and wasn't up for the trek home so she stayed in the city. Her father didn't look too happy about being home without her and Natasha didn't think anything of it until her mother came home the next weekend equipped with a gift for Natasha from her mother's boss.

"He's very nice, Natasha," her mother said. "He pays very well and he takes very good care of the families of his workers."

Natasha's mother had handed her a powdery blue box with a white ribbon tied around it. It was from Tiffany's and whatever was in it surely had to have cost a lot. When she finally untied the bow and slid the lid off of the box, it was revealed to be a sterling silver necklace with an Eiffel Tower charm.

"Oh that's so pretty!" Natasha's mother cooed as she reached for the necklace to put it on Natasha.

"Yeah," Natasha said bluntly. "Tell him I said thank you."

Natasha didn't like accepting a gift from a total stranger, let alone a really expensive one. A sterling silver necklace from Tiffany's had to cost at least $200. Clint could tell Natasha wasn't happy when she returned to his house Sunday night. He was debating on asking her what was wrong until she reached behind her neck to unclasp the necklace she was wearing. Clint hadn't noticed it until she reached to take it off, and she chucked the necklace onto the top of his dresser.

"My mom's boss bought that for me. It's from Tiffany's," she said. "I have no problem with how expensive it is. I just don't like that some stranger bought it for me."

Clint picked up the necklace from his dresser and looked at it. It looked harmless.

"It's nice," he said, placing it back down on his dresser.

"It is," she agreed. "I just don't like that a total stranger got it for me."

"If I had gotten it for you, would you have accepted it?" he asked.

"If you can afford Tiffany's," she laughed. She was quiet for a couple minutes, lost in thought.

"When I would visit my grandparents in the city, I would walk down to the Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue and I would look at all the necklaces and rings and bracelets and just wish my parents could afford it," she explained. "All I ever wanted was _something_ from Tiffany's and now that I finally got something, I don't even want it. I just feel weird accepting a gift so expensive from someone I don't know."

"I'll tell you what," Clint said. "I'll start saving up my money and when I have plenty, I'll buy you whatever your heart desires from Tiffany's."

Natasha smiled. She began to wonder how she became the luckiest girl in the world around Clint.

* * *

The gift giving didn't stop with the necklace from Tiffany's. The following weekend, Natasha's mother brought home a large box that was gift wrapped. The wrapping itself looked expensive and Natasha once again felt uncomfortable accepting the gift.

"It's perfectly fine, honey," Mrs. Romanoff said, as Mr. Romanoff watched from the doorway of the kitchen. He didn't look pleased. At least he seemed to be on Natasha's side in this situation.

With more encouragement from her mother, Natasha ripped off the wrapping paper that revealed a box monogrammed with the Saks Fifth Avenue logo. Natasha sighed but continued with sliding the lid off of the box to reveal a black quilted Chanel bag. Natasha was starting to get extremely paranoid. How did this guy know she has always wanted one of these? Over the Christmas holidays, she had practically spent every day that she was in the city in Saks Fifth Avenue staring at the Chanel bags, wishing she could afford one.

"I know you've always wanted one," Mrs. Romanoff said. "I mentioned it to Victor one day and he was kind enough to get you one!"

Once again, Natasha was torn. She couldn't accept the gift. Chanel bags cost well over a thousand dollars, and yet she wanted one so badly. Once again, she mustered up a thank you and told her mom to pass the message along.

Natasha received another gift after the Chanel bag. When her parents had returned home, her mother walked into the house with a big grin plastered across her face and another box in her hands. Mrs. Romanoff shoved the box into Natasha's hands and forced her to open, much to Natasha's protests.

Natasha ripped off the wrapping once again and revealed a box for Christian Louboutins. She slid the lid off to find a pair of a black Mary Janes. By this time, Natasha was getting fed up with the gifts but her mom just looked so excited to hand them to her every weekend that she couldn't deny them. After being in a financial rut for all these years, her and her mom could now have the nice things they had seen in fashion magazines.

Every weekend, her mother would also gush about Victor Von Doom. Just his name irritated Natasha. _Who the hell would name their kid that?_ She would think. _And what the hell kind of last name is Von Doom?_ It was always Victor this, and Victor that, and Natasha's father would sit there looking displeased as her mother droned on and on about Mr. Von Doom.

Every so often Natasha would tune in to see what her mother was bragging about.

"The hours are long but the pay is fantastic," her mother would say. "He's a hard worker. We have great teamwork too."

Natasha's parents dropped Natasha off at Clint's house before they left to return to the city. She let herself into the house and found Clint sitting at the kitchen table doing his math homework. She gave him a quick kiss then ran upstairs to grab her school work, and then rejoined him at the kitchen table.

Natasha was about halfway through answering questions for her history assignment when it dawned on her. The gifts, the way her mother talked about him, the fact that her father wasn't pleased with the gifts and how her mother talked about Mr. Von Doom. The long hours and the handsome pay, and tack on the fact that her mom didn't come home that one weekend a couple weeks ago.

"Oh my God," Natasha whispered.

"What? What's wrong?" Clint said, looking up from his math homework.

"He's trying to earn my trust," Natasha muttered.

"What? Who? Who's trying to earn your trust?" Clint asked, confused.

"My mom's boss. That's why he keeps buying me gifts," Natasha said. "My mom keeps sharing stuff about me to him. That's why he keeps getting me all these gifts I've always wanted."

"Tasha, I'm lost. What's going on?"

She didn't want to admit it. If she said it that would mean it's true, and Natasha did not want this, of all things, to be true. She took a deep breath and prepared for the truth that she still had to tell herself.

"Clint," she said. "I think my mom's having an affair."

* * *

**Oooooooh drama alert! Once again, I'm sorry if it's choppy and doesn't flow well. And I'm sorry for the lack of fluff from Clintasha. I had a lot of fluff in the original version but the chapter wasn't really going anywhere and it didn't really seem to fit in the story well. Anyways, I hope this chapter isn't a let down for you guys.**

**As always, thank you for signing up for alerts, adding this story to your favorites, and reviewing. Please review because I love reading what you guys think!**


	14. Fight For Me

**Oh boy, fair warning, Clint and Natasha get thrown through the ringer during this chapter so brace yourselves. Therefore, I present to you, chapter 14.**

* * *

Natasha wasn't 100 percent sure her mother was having an affair with Victor Von Doom, but she was pretty convinced. Her father had returned home the following weekend solo, but came equipped with another gift from Mr. Von Doom. Natasha eyed the package as if it were a bomb about to detonate. Her father had told her that she better open it so he could tell her mother how much Natasha liked the gift when he returned to the city.

Natasha wasn't sure if her father was going to do anything about the affair because she was pretty sure he knew too. There was no way to ignore her mother's absence the weekends Mr. Romanoff came home alone. The fact that Mr. Von Doom kept sending Natasha gifts was a dead giveaway of the affair as well.

The weekend her father came home by himself, Natasha suggested they go see a movie. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone to see a movie with her parents, or if she had ever gone to see a movie with her parents. Either way, she had hoped getting her father out of the house would ease the tension.

Mr. Romanoff was polite enough to let Natasha choose the movie. She had been waiting to go see _The Hunger Games_ with Clint so he could critique Katniss Everdeen's archery skills but Natasha thought her father would enjoy it so they bought tickets to see the film. At least it would keep both of them occupied and their minds off of the current situation for a good two and a half hours.

Once the movie was over, Mr. Romanoff decided to treat Natasha to lunch and they stopped by a quaint restaurant on Main Street. Throughout her entire childhood, Natasha and her father had never had father-daughter time together, so this experience was new for both of them and Natasha had to admit that she liked it.

They were halfway through eating their food when Mr. Romanoff decided to strike up a conversation with Natasha. It was a nice and calm one. Mr. Romanoff asked Natasha how she was doing in school and if she was enjoying her job. Natasha politely responded but had a hard time deciding if she should ask about his job. She decided to kind of beat around the bush and asked how he liked being in the city practically all the time and how he liked having a Starbucks at every corner.

Without her mother around, Natasha realized that her father was actually a good person. For her entire life, her memories of her parents consisted of both of them arguing. There is not one good memory of just one of them by themselves. It seemed as though her mother brought out the worst in Mr. Romanoff, but with the supposed affair happening, he was a calm, gentle, and polite person, and he apparently had no problem splurging for his only child.

They had finished their meal, and were waiting for their waitress to come back around when Mr. Romanoff had decided to ask more questions about Natasha's life, specifically about Clint.

"How's Clint, Natasha?" Mr. Romanoff asked.

Natasha grew still. Clint and her father hadn't seen each other since their altercation over dinner back in October. Even though her father had approved of Clint "having guts," she still worried that her father hated him.

"Ummm, he's good, I guess…" she trailed off as she poked the lemon in her glass of water with her straw.

"Is he still treating you well?" he asked. It wasn't threatening; in fact, he said it quite calmly, as if he was actually concerned.

"Yeah, he's great," Natasha said.

"I know you guys practically spend all of your time together so I'm sorry for keeping you from him today," her father said, almost as if he seemed defeated.

"Oh no, Dad. This is great! This is fun!" Natasha said, and she meant it.

"That's good, Natasha," her father said, still sounding defeated.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, only breaking the silence when the waitress stopped by the table to ask if they would like dessert. They politely declined and the waitress handed them the bill. Her father sat there staring it for some time and she wondered if he had enough money to cover it. When he pulled out a couple bills and slipped them into the black leather folder, Natasha let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in.

The car ride home was a quiet one. The only sound was the faint noise of the radio station her father had playing for his ride to and from the city. Natasha wondered if she should bring up the topic of her mother's supposed affair with Mr. Von Doom. She knew it would be a touchy subject for her father – it was certainly one for her – but she was willing to take the risk.

"Dad?" she called from the passenger seat. Her father grunted in response.

"What's going to happen with you and mom?" she asked.

"I don't know, Natasha," he said calmly.

"You don't have to talk about it, but I know what's going on," she said.

"I know you do," her father said. "You've known since the day your mother brought home that gift from Tiffany's. I could see it in your face."

"I didn't want to take it, Dad. I swear. I didn't want to take the others either," she said.

"I know Natasha," he said. For a man whose wife was cheating on him, he was incredibly calm, which kind of scared Natasha.

"Are you guys going to get a divorce?" she asked. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

Her father let out a sigh. "Probably."

This scared Natasha. If her parents divorced, she wasn't sure what was going to happen. Her mother would surely want custody of her and then she would have to move to New York City and go to some snooty private school that mom's boy-toy would most likely pay for. If her parents divorced, who knew if she would see her father again. It would suck on so many levels since they had just started getting along.

Worst of all, if her parents divorced, her and Clint might get separated. No, not might, they _would_ get separated. Even if her father was to get custody of her, there was no guaranteeing that he would stay in town. Her father understood how much Clint meant to her, but financial problems could pose a problem for him and cause him to move.

She had to say something. If she didn't, she wasn't sure what would happen if she didn't voice her opinion.

"You have to fight for me, Dad," she said. "You have to fight for me. Please, if this happens, don't let Mom get custody of me."

"Natasha - ," he started but she interrupted.

"No. Out of the both of you, you understand me the best. I'm sorry it took 16 years for me to realize that but you do.

"But most importantly, you like Clint. Mom has shit for brains so she can't decipher a genuinely nice person from a total blackmailer, and Clint just so happens to be one of those genuinely nice people. You know he's a good person. You know he treats me well and with respect. If I have to leave and lose him, I'm not only losing someone I love, I'm losing my best friend.

"So, please Dad. Fight for me, because I know that you know what's best for me," she said, trying to choke back tears. Saying all of those things about losing Clint brought her to the verge of her breaking point. It was taking all of her strength to keep herself from breaking down and crying right now.

"I can't guarantee I'll win, but I promise I'll try my very hardest to fight for you. I'll try to fight for you and Clint," her father said, and with that he slowed the car down, pulled over to the shoulder, and did a U-turn in the middle of the road. Natasha wasn't wondering where her father was going because all she cared about was holding herself together. Her arms were clenched across her stomach, almost as if she was trying to keep herself from falling apart.

She didn't realize they were in Clint's driveway until her father had spoken.

"What I can guarantee you right now is all the time between now and whenever we decide to divorce one another. So go Natasha," her father ordered, nodding towards Clint's house. She struggled to open the car door but when she did, she stumbled out, slammed the door, and then sprinted to the front door of Clint's house. She slammed her fist up against the door several times until Clint answered.

Clint took in the sight of her and instantly knew something was wrong. She was shaking uncontrollably and it looked like tears were going to start spilling any second. He was about to ask what was wrong when she started to go into hysterics.

"I love you!" she shouted incoherently. "I love you! I love you! I love you! I need to say it because I don't know how much time we have and I need you to know that I love you."

By this time, Natasha was in complete hysterics. The tears were spilling and she was practically hyperventilating.

"Nat, _what_ is going on?"

"My parents are probably getting a divorce. It's going to happen. I know it," she said hysterically. "I don't know what's going to happen. I asked my dad to fight for me because I can't leave. I _won't_ leave. I don't _want_ to leave.

"And I don't want to leave you. I love you too much to leave you," she wailed. "And I'm not just saying this as your girlfriend I'm saying this as your best friend. So I don't know how much time we have together. We could have the rest of our lives, or we could have a couple months, maybe weeks. I don't know, but I couldn't tell you all of this without letting you know that I love you and I don't want to lose you!"

Natasha was about the collapse on the porch but Clint caught her and scooped her up bridal-style and carried her into the house. This killed Clint. Of all the people to be treated like dirt, Natasha didn't deserve it. Out of both of her parents, Clint had expected her mother to be more caring and understanding but he was wrong since her father seemed to be the one fighting for her. From the way Natasha made things out to be, Mr. Romanoff had no chance in the custody battle since he would be going up against Mrs. Romanoff's new lover but he was still going to fight for Natasha, and apparently Clint. Mr. Romanoff apparently had a soft spot for Clint.

Clint sat on the couch with Natasha in his arms and he let her cry it all out. He knew there was nothing he could say to make this better at the moment. The only way to make this right was to hold her and let her cry it all out.

It took her about an hour to calm down. Her chest was still heaving with sobs and a couple tears still trickled down her face, but for the most part, she was calm and could probably coherently talk to Clint. He adjusted her so that she was sitting in his lap but still in his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder from tiredness and heaved another sob.

"I'm a little insulted that you thought I wouldn't fight for you too," Clint said as she let out a small laugh.

"Oh, and by the way, I love you too," he said with a smile. It was the first time they had said it. They both knew that they loved one another, but they had never actually said it directly to each other. It sucked that it had to be said under unfortunate circumstances.

"I'm actually a little mad that you said it first," he said, getting her to laugh once again.

They stayed like that for several hours. Not once did they talk, they just sat there on the couch in complete silence with Natasha's head resting on his shoulder. Clint's parents returned home at one point and were shocked to find Clint and Natasha in such an awkward position on the couch. His parents were about to protest when Clint stopped them.

"Now is really not the time," he said icily. He watched as his parents retreated from the living room and turned his head to check on Natasha. She was fast asleep; all of that crying had really worn her out. He scooped her up once again and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. He placed her in his bed and, not caring about his parents' opinions, crawled into bed next to her.

Clint had learned over time that Natasha was a light sleeper at times so he wasn't surprised that when he got in bed with her, she rolled over and was wide awake. Her eyes were red and swollen, but other than that, she looked okay on the outside. It was the inside that Clint was concerned about.

"You'll really fight for me?" she asked eagerly.

"I'm still really insulted that you don't think I will," he said with chuckle. "Yes Nat, I will fight for you because I love you. You're not going to leave me that easily."

Natasha inched closer to Clint and she snuggled into his chest. She felt a lot safer when she felt his arm wrap around her back like usual. It was almost as if all of her problems melted away when she was in his arms.

* * *

Mr. Romanoff filed for divorce two weeks before Natasha's sophomore year ended, citing fraud and that he wanted sole custody of Natasha. He had come home that weekend to tell Natasha but quickly returned to the city to search for a lawyer. If he was going to fight for Natasha, he was going to need a pretty damn good lawyer.

Mrs. Romanoff retaliated a couple days later by filing for divorce as well, citing the same exact thing. Mrs. Romanoff clearly had no idea what the word "fraud" meant in this situation, but she still cited that she wanted sole custody of Natasha. Natasha knew this was going to get ugly, and she was mentally and emotionally preparing herself for the worst.

The custody hearing was scheduled a week following Natasha's last day of school. When the school was dismissed on that day, Natasha didn't want to believe that she may only have a week left with Clint. When she met him in the student parking lot after school, she broke down and cried. She didn't want it to end. Not now, and not this soon.

When Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff returned to town separately the week before the hearing, Mr. Romanoff decided it was best to let Natasha have her time with Clint. Mr. Romanoff wasn't very confident of the outcome of the custody battle but he still constantly reassured Natasha that he would do everything he could to keep her.

Natasha didn't return home at all that week. Instead, she stayed at Clint's house and she always crawled into bed with him at night, not caring one bit that his parents and Barney – home from his first year of college – were in the house. All she wanted and all she needed were to be in Clint's arms because she didn't know how much longer they had together.

The day of the custody hearing came quicker than expected. When Natasha woke up that day, she didn't want to open her eyes because she didn't want to face what the day had in store for her. Clint had promised Natasha he would go to the hearing to support her and her father, but he thought it was best that she went to the court house with her father. Clint dropped her off at her house and gave her a long, passionate kiss before telling her he'd meet her there.

Natasha got ready in a haze. She didn't really want to put in much of an effort but she did anyways, slipping on a black shift dress and a pair of sandals. She made sure her hair was curled to perfection and her makeup was flawless. Maybe she could bat her eyelashes a couple times at the judge to sway his decision.

Within the hour, they were seated in the court room. Natasha was seated directly behind her dad behind the gate. When her mother and Mr. Von Doom walked in, Mrs. Romanoff tried to garner Natasha's attention but Natasha just looked straight ahead.

It was about five minutes before the hearing was going to begin and Clint still hadn't arrived. He had a habit of being late, especially in the mornings when they had to go to school, but she figured he would be on time for something as important as this. If he didn't get here before the hearing started, he wouldn't be able to get in; the doors would be locked and no one would be able to enter or leave.

Natasha felt like she was being stabbed in the chest when they closed the dark brown doors to the court room and locked them. Clint still wasn't here and she wasn't sure how to handle this without him. She put her head in her hands and took deep breaths to avoid being sick. She could feel her father's eyes on her but she just continued to look down and breathe deeply.

She didn't raise her head until she heard the judge walk in and call the court to order. Natasha had difficultly focusing on the hearing. It wasn't just Clint's absence that threw her off, it was the legal jargon. She was a pretty smart person but everything that came out of the judge's and lawyers' mouths sounded like gibberish.

Each time Mr. Von Doom's lawyer spoke – and she knew it was Mr. Von Doom's lawyer because she knew her mother wasn't smart enough to research lawyers by herself – she wanted to punch him in the face. The same went for Mr. Von Doom. He acted like since he was some big time CEO in New York City he could just walk in here and defend him and Natasha's mother.

Each side went back and forth, arguing until the judge would call order in the court. Natasha so desperately wanted to join in on the argument but she knew that if she said something she could jeopardize her father's case. Therefore, she just sat behind the gate with her arms folded across her chest.

By noon, a decision hadn't been reached and the judge called a lunch break. Relief flooded through Natasha's body as she heard the dark brown doors swing open. Not only was she hoping Clint was sitting outside but she felt like she was suffocating in the court room, and she needed some air.

When she walked out to the hallway, it was empty. Clint wasn't there and she felt a whole new emotion towards him: anger. Why he wasn't here she didn't know, but she was going to find out. She whipped out her phone and checked to see if there were any missed calls or text messages. None. She searched through her contacts and found his name, pressing her thumb to the screen to call his phone. She pressed the phone to her ear with a little more pressure than necessary and listened for him to answer the phone. Unfortunately, it went to voicemail after several rings.

"Clint Barton, I don't know where you are but the next time I see you, I am going to _kill you_," she hissed into the phone, and then hung up.

"Natasha?" she heard a voice from behind her. It wasn't Clint. Unfortunately it was her mother, and she whipped around to face her. Before her mother could get a word in, Natasha spoke.

"I don't know what you're trying to do but whatever it is, it needs to stop. If you win this case, I will _never ever_ forgive you," she spat and turned on her heel to walk back into the court room. Suddenly she wasn't very hungry for lunch.

* * *

After a half hour lunch break, the case resumed. Mr. Romanoff had been taking a beating before the break, but he wasn't going to give up. He wasn't quitting, he was just getting started. Mr. Romanoff and his lawyer retaliated with great force.

Apparently this wasn't the only time Mrs. Romanoff had been suspected of being unfaithful. Mr. Romanoff even cited their move to town before Natasha started kindergarten as an outcome of another cheating scandal. This was news to Natasha, and it made her despise her vile mother even more.

By 2:00, her father and his lawyer had revealed every little secret they had about Mrs. Romanoff, and Natasha hoped that would be enough to sway the decision in her father's favor.

"Finally, we would like to hear from the child, Miss Natasha Romanoff," the judge announced.

Natasha was shocked. She thought only this sort of stuff happened in movies, and maybe they did. She hadn't been paying attention for the past couple of minutes so maybe she had dozed off and was currently dreaming this.

"Miss Romanoff, if you would please stand," the judge said politely. Natasha stood but didn't quite know what to say. What exactly did the judge want her to say? She could feel all eyes on her and this made her extremely nervous.

"What do you want me to say" she choked out.

"Please give your side of this case," the judge said.

_Perfect_, Natasha thought. _My mom isn't going to know what hit her_.

"Well, I just thought this was the first time my mother had cheated but according to my father it's not," Natasha said. "There were other times that I did not know about, and I'm not even mad I didn't know about them.

"Now, it makes me think that she's unfit to be a mother," she continued. "Who's to say that she won't drop Mr. Von Doom in a couple of months and come crawling back to my father or find some other rich CEO and try to seduce him. Can't have a minor being bounced around from step-father to step-father. It wouldn't be a very healthy environment or lifestyle.

"Which, come to think of it, all of the guys my mother cheated on my father with were filthy stinking rich. It wouldn't surprise me if my mother married my father because she thought she could dip into my grandparents' fortune and gain a little bit herself, but I guess that came as a little bit of a surprise when she married my dad."

Natasha paused and looked over at her mom, who was staring at Natasha with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"So, it just seems that my mother is a dumb fucking gold digging whore who was unfit to be a mother in the first place," Natasha said. "That's all. I'm done."

Natasha sat back down in her seat and folded her arms across her chest, a smirk beginning to spread across her face. Her mother was glaring at her now, as if Natasha had betrayed her.

_Serves you right, you dumb bitch_, Natasha thought.

Natasha turned her attention back to the judge who was reviewing everything from the hearing. Natasha's leg started to bounce up and down due to nervousness. She wanted the judge to stop delaying the decision and just tell her already.

The judge cleared his throat. "On this day, I grant Mr. Ivan Romanoff sole custody of Miss Natasha Alianovna Romanoff. Mrs. Vera Romanoff is to pay $500 in monthly child support, which will cover the costs of Miss Natasha Romanoff's health insurance and other necessary living expenses.

"This ruling cannot be revisited due to Miss Natasha Romanoff approaching adulthood in less than two years. This case is dismissed," the judge said as he banged the gavel and walked out of the court room.

Natasha jumped out of her seat and yelped with excitement. She rushed through the gate and hugged her dad, who hugged her back with as much excitement.

"You back stabbing bitch," Natasha heard her mother hiss from behind her. Natasha turned around and looked her mother right in the eye.

"Me? A back stabbing bitch? You've been stabbing our family in the back for years, whore," Natasha said icily. "And calling your daughter a back stabbing bitch is probably why you lost this case. I'm pretty sure that's a form of verbal abuse in a court of law."

Her mother sputtered, trying to form a defense to Natasha's statement but instead, turned and stomped out of the court room with Mr. Von Doom on her heels. Natasha turned around and hugged her father once more and shook his lawyer's hand and thanked him for all of his help.

Natasha was so excited that she forgot how angry she was at Clint for not showing up. Her hand instantly reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out her phone to check for messages. None.

She excused herself from the court room and walked out into the deserted hallway and dialed his number once again. It rang twice before someone answered.

"Clint Barton, you are in so much trouble!" Natasha screeched into the phone.

"Natasha," Mrs. Barton said.

_Mrs. Barton? Did I dial the wrong number?_ Natasha thought.

"Mrs. Barton, I'm so sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number," Natasha said.

"No, no, this is Clint's phone," Mrs. Barton said wearily. She sounded exhausted.

"Oh, why do you have his phone? Did he get in trouble or something?"

"No," Mrs. Barton said as she let out a sigh. "I don't know how to tell you this…"

"What's going on?" Natasha said. Now she was scared. Clint hadn't shown up at all for the court hearing and now his mother was acting all cryptic.

"We didn't want to tell you what with the court case going on - ," she said but Natasha interrupted her.

"_What. Happened?_" Natasha said through her clenched teeth.

Mrs. Barton let out another sigh and took deep a breath. "Natasha, Clint's been in an accident."

* * *

**Oooooooh I'm such a horrible person! Cliffhanger! Please don't hate me. By the way, I have no idea how custody hearings work so if someone out there knows, please don't judge me for how Natasha's custody hearing played out. My parents got divorced when I was like 2 so I obviously would not know how they work haha.**

**As always, thank you for signing up for alerts, adding this to your favorites, and reviewing. Please review, and go easy on me. Like I said, please don't hate me haha.**


	15. Never Let Me Go

**So, just because a lot of you asked nicely (and some of you not so nicely) I have chapter 15 here for you!**

* * *

_No. No, no, no, no, no,_ Natasha thought as she stood in the hallway outside of the court room. She had hung up the phone five minutes ago and hadn't moved for where she stood in the hallway.

_This isn't happening, _she thought. _This can't be happening._

Natasha felt her body start to sway and she braced herself against the wall to steady herself.

_I'm asleep_, she thought. _That's it. I really did fall asleep during the hearing and I'm dreaming. This is all a dream. We didn't win the case, and Clint will be waiting for me outside of those doors when it's all over._

However, no matter how many times she told herself that, she couldn't convince herself that it was true. She managed to push herself off from the wall to walk back into the court room to find her dad. He was seated among the rows of benches waiting for Natasha to return, and when she did, he didn't like the sight of her. She looked like she did that day in the car when they started talking about the then-possible divorce.

"Natasha, what's wrong?" Mr. Romanoff said grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes.

"I need to go to the hospital!" she wailed.

"Why? What happened? Is something wrong? Are you okay?" Mr. Romanoff said, panicked.

"No, I'm not okay!" she said through a sea of tears. "Clint's in the hospital. That's why he didn't show up today and I need to go there now!"

Mr. Romanoff was stricken with fear. He had fought so hard for them, and now this happened. He directed her out of the court room by the shoulders and they kept going until they got to the parking garage where Mr. Romanoff's car was parked. By the time they reached the car, Natasha was in complete hysterics. Mr. Romanoff pushed her into the car and promised her he would get her to the hospital.

A simple five minute car ride across the bridge to get to the hospital seemed to take an hour in Natasha's eyes. They were still on Main Street when Natasha called Clint's mom to make sure this was really happening. When Mrs. Barton picked up, she still sounded exhausted and weary and told Natasha that they didn't have any new information. Mrs. Barton told Natasha that they were in the waiting room outside of the emergency room, and to come find them when she arrived.

When they arrived at the hospital, Natasha barely waited for her father to put the car in park when she opened the door and sprinted for the hospital doors. She must have looked like a crazy person who needed to be committed to the psych ward when she burst through the door because many of the people seated in the waiting room looked straight at her with concern. Natasha spotted Clint's parents and his brother seated in the corner and she walked straight over to them with determination.

Before they could say anything, Natasha made sure she got the first word.

"What happened? I need to know what happened!" she demanded.

"They say someone ran a red light, slammed right into the side of the car - ," Mr. Barton said.

"Yeah, _my_ car," Barney pouted.

"Now is _not_ the time Charles," Mr. Barton said, and Natasha was suddenly confused.

"Charles?" Natasha asked, confused and slightly irritated.

"My real name is Charles Bernard Barton, but I just prefer to go by Barney," Barney huffed.

"Yeah, because going by the name of a big purple singing dinosaur is much better than Charles," Natasha scoffed, and then turned back to Clint's parents. "So…so what's wrong? What's wrong with him?"

"We don't know," Mrs. Barton said. Natasha got a good look at her and Natasha realized she had been crying. Natasha didn't blame her obviously. Her youngest son had just been involved in a serious car accident and they didn't know how he was doing. Natasha suddenly regretted her inappropriate behavior earlier on the phone with Mrs. Barton.

"The car hit on his side, so his injuries are, no doubt, severe," Mr. Barton said, hanging his head.

Natasha didn't want to hear it anymore. She looked behind her and luckily found an empty chair she could lower herself into. If she had kept standing, she probably would have passed out and smacked her head on the floor. She rested her elbows on her knees and put her head in her hands. She had that feeling again, that feeling she had in the court room when Clint didn't show up. She felt like she was going to be sick, violently sick, which was impossible since she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

No one said anything when Natasha's father caught up with her in the waiting room. No one said anything when he approached them, and he decided that it was best to not say anything at the moment. There was nothing at the moment that could be said to make the situation better.

After another hour, a doctor came out into the waiting room and announced Mr. and Mrs. Barton's names. Mr. and Mrs. Barton, Barney, Natasha, and Mr. Romanoff immediately scrambled from their seats and approached the doctor. The doctor introduced himself as Dr. Curt Connors and mentioned that he had performed surgery on Clint following the accident.

Natasha gulped; she wasn't quite ready to hear about the damage but she braced herself by grabbing hold of her dad's arm. Dr. Connors said that when Clint came into the ER, he barely looked like he had been in an accident with the exception of the various cuts and bruises covering his body. Upon further inspection, he had some internal bleeding from the impact and a possible concussion, as well as several broken ribs, one of which punctured his lung. After an intense surgery, they had managed to stop the bleeding, as well as fix his collapsed lung. Dr. Connors mentioned he would be in a lot of pain when he awoke but he was extremely lucky and that he should take it easy for a couple of weeks.

After Dr. Connors walked away, Natasha could feel the room start to spin. Clint was going to be fine, but the part that scared her now was seeing him laying, helpless and vulnerable, in a hospital bed. Clint, the boy who saved her from playground bullies when she was little. Clint, the boy who stayed with her the night she was so sick she honestly thought she was going to cough up a lung. Clint, the boy who said he would fight for her today. Well, she sure hoped he was fighting for her now, but in a different context. Either way, after all of these years, Clint had seemed like her own personal superhero, but it turns out he was only human just like everyone else.

Mr. and Mrs. Barton moved from their place in the middle of the waiting room and approached the nurses' station to ask when they could see their son. Natasha wanted to know as well, but she had to be patient, and it killed her. She wanted to see Clint, and she wanted to see him now, but even if the hospital staff was allowing Clint to have visitors, she had to let his parents see him first. She couldn't be selfish.

Mr. and Mrs. Barton walked back to the group with their spirits a little more lifted. The nurses had told them that Clint should be ready for visitors within a half hour. There was no guaranteeing he would be awake because of the meds but they would still allow family to see him.

Natasha was extremely disappointed when Clint's parents had said that _family_ was allowed to visit him. Natasha knew that Mr. and Mrs. Barton had always considered her part of the family, but she knew it probably wouldn't be enough in the hospital staff's eyes. They were extremely strict when it came to this sort of stuff. Mr. and Mrs. Barton saw the disappointment in Natasha's eyes and they reassured her that she would be able to see him in a half hour when he was allowed visitors.

The next half hour was absolutely grueling and Natasha couldn't help but check the clock on her phone every two seconds. When the half hour was up, a nurse came over and announced that they could see Clint. A pang of fright hit Natasha square in the chest. She watched as Clint's parents and his brother got up and headed for the doors that led to the rooms. They stopped and beckoned for Natasha to come with them.

"I'm not ready," she whispered. Mr. and Mrs. Barton nodded and they told her they'd come back out and check on her within a few minutes to see if she would be ready by then. She watched as they disappeared behind the doors, leaving Natasha and her father in the waiting room.

"I'll kill him if he does this to you again," Natasha heard her father say. "I fought hard for you two today and he goes and pulls a stunt like this."

Natasha let out a small laugh. "Don't Dad. The accident wasn't his fault. Some asshole ran a red light," Natasha said, trying to defend Clint.

"Well, when he gets better, he's going to get _quite_ an earful from me," Mr. Romanoff said, and Natasha laughed. This divorce was turning her father into a different person and she liked it. Instead of making threats of violence, he was making threats to give a lecture, which if you really thought about it, that's worse than getting the shit kicked out of you.

Natasha wasn't sure how much time had passed. It could have been an hour, it could have been five minutes, but she was getting really antsy by the time she saw Mrs. Barton reenter the waiting room and approach Natasha. Mrs. Barton looked a lot better than she did earlier today. She looked like she could use some sleep but she was clearly relieved that Clint was okay.

"Natasha," Mrs. Barton said. "He's asking for you."

* * *

Natasha followed Mrs. Barton down the hall as they made their way to Clint's room. Natasha still wasn't sure if she was ready for this. Mrs. Barton halted in front of a room which Natasha assumed was Clint's. Mr. Barton and Barney were standing outside of the room; they were clearly going to give Natasha and Clint some privacy. Mrs. Barton gave Natasha a weak but encouraging smile and gestured towards the door.

Natasha took a couple steps towards the door but stopped. She was scared. She was scared to go in and see him. She heard someone walk up behind her and give her a little push towards the door. She whipped around and saw Barney with a stupid grin on his face. If his little push was supposed to get her to move forward, his plan didn't work because all she wanted to do was punch him in the face.

"Don't rush it, _Charles_," she snarled, and watched as that stupid grin was wiped clear off his face. She took a couple more steps until she was right outside the door frame, and then, she took a deep breath and stepped in.

The room was dimly lit due to the blinds being drawn. The only noise in the room was coming from the heart monitor which beeped to let Natasha know that Clint was still alive.

She took another step forward and got a better look at him. He was awfully pale and there were dark circles around his eyes. There were tubes and wires sticking out of him from different places, including the one for oxygen on his face, which Natasha assumed was supposed to help him breathe because of his collapsed lung.

She took one more step towards him and that's when he turned his head towards her and a smile spread across his face. He feebly lifted his arm from the bed and reached out his hand as if to tell her to come to him. Natasha closed the space between her and Clint and she swatted away his arm only so her lips could connect with his. It felt like an eternity since she had kissed him, when in reality it was only this morning, but it felt so good.

She didn't want to break the kiss even though she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. They weren't sad tears, they were happy tears, but she couldn't keep them from spilling over. Clint could feel the tears spilling over her eyes and he broke away from the kiss to wipe the tears away with his thumb.

"You are never allowed to do this me _ever. Again_," she said trying to choke back more of the tears that threatened to spill over.

"I promise," he said, reassuring her with another kiss on the lips. When they pulled apart, Natasha ran her fingers over the butterfly stitches near his temple, no doubt an injury from the accident. He winced as she gently ran her fingers over it again and muttered a genuine "sorry" as she pulled her fingers away.

She lowered herself to sit on the limited amount of bed space, being careful not to disturb any of the wires that were connected to Clint. As she sat down and positioned herself so that she was seated on the very edge of the bed, Clint brought his hand up and cupped her face.

"So, when you say that I'm never allowed to do this to you ever again, does this mean…" he trailed off, hoping she would fill in the blanks.

She let out a small laugh. "Yeah, yeah it does. My dad got custody of me," she said.

Clint went to push himself up to give her a kiss but winced at the movement. Natasha started to fuss, but Clint swatted her hands away when she reached for him.

"No, it's the stitches. It's just the stitches," he hissed. "I think I pulled at them."

"Well, duh! If you move, it's going to hurt," Natasha added sarcastically.

"I was trying to give you a kiss," he said.

"All you have to do is ask," she said, leaning in to kiss him quickly on the lips. She didn't care how many times she had kissed him in the amount of time she had been in his room. She could have lost him today so she wasn't taking any chances.

Clint relaxed against the pillows but Natasha could tell he was still slightly in pain from his little stunt a couple seconds ago.

"You need more pain meds," she stated.

Clint shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe, but I can handle it."

"That wasn't a question, it was a statement," she said. She searched for the button on the remote to call a nurse into his room to give him another dosage of pain meds through his IV and pressed it when she found it, much to Clint's dismay.

"I don't need them," he whined.

"Yes, you do. You missed the court hearing today, and this is your punishment. You are at my mercy," Natasha said as nurse came in to check his stats and inject his IV with more pain meds. Instantly, Natasha could see the drugs take effect. Clint started to relax and his eyelids started to droop.

"You going to stay with me, Nat?" he slurred.

"As long as I don't get kicked out for not being family, I'll stay with you as long as you want," she said.

"I'm going…to hold you…to that," he slurred as his heart rate slowed to a steady pace and the drugs took him under.

Natasha kissed the stitches on his temple and got up to drag a chair close enough to his bedside so that she could hold his hand. She tucked her feet underneath her and rested her head against the back of the surprisingly comfortable chair. She wasn't sure how long she sat there watching Clint's chest rise and fall with every breath he took, but she began to doze off after a while. As sleep started to take over her, she knew that, no matter what, her grip on Clint's hand would never slacken. She would never let go.

* * *

Clint assumed it was in the early hours of the morning when he woke again. Natasha was fast asleep in the chair next to him, holding on tight to his hand. He smiled at her sleeping form, and he was happy that she was the first person he saw when he woke up.

He wasn't sure how long he was awake until the nurses changed shifts at 7:00. It wasn't long until a nurse came in to check his stats and ask him how he was feeling. Clint replied with simple answers and the nurse glanced over at Natasha, still asleep in the chair.

"Your girlfriend?" the nurse asked.

Clint turned his head to look at Natasha, and didn't take his eyes off of her. "Yeah," he said with a smile.

"Lucky guy you are," she said in approval and walked out of the room.

Clint wasn't sure how much longer he sat there in total silence just holding onto Natasha's hand. It had to have been about an hour he spent in total silence until his parents walked in to see how he was doing. They were dressed in different clothes than yesterday so Clint assumed they went home, showered, and slept in their own beds.

It had to have been a couple hours later when Mr. Romanoff stepped into the room. Clint had assumed that he was just here to pick Natasha up but Clint was surprised when he asked his parents if he could speak with Clint.

Clint gulped from nervousness. The last encounter he had with Mr. Romanoff had been less than pleasant. He was still genuinely afraid of him. Clint almost wanted to tell his parents to stay in the room with him in case Mr. Romanoff flew off the handle.

Mr. Romanoff grabbed the other empty chair and pulled it up to the other side of Clint's bed and sat down.

"How are you feeling Barton?" Mr. Romanoff asked.

"I've been better," he said, shrugging.

"Gave us all quite a scare yesterday."

"Yeah, sorry about that, but it wasn't my fault," Clint said defensively.

"No, no, we know it wasn't, but you really put Natasha through hell. You know that right?" Mr. Romanoff said sternly.

Clint nodded his head but didn't say anything. He had a feeling Mr. Romanoff had more to get out of his system.

"I fought really hard to keep Natasha, but more importantly, I fought really hard to keep the two of you together," Mr. Romanoff said. "And for you to pull a stunt like that made me feel defeated, as if all of the hard work I had done was for nothing.

"Now I know you're going to be okay and you'll heal just fine but there's something you need to know," Mr. Romanoff said and took a deep breath. "You are the only good thing that has come out of my family moving here."

Clint was shocked to hear it. He remembers that night he met Mr. and Mrs. Romanoff and they had said that when Natasha would come home happy, they would instantly know that she had been with him.

"My wife was nothing but unfaithful to me in the present and the past, and she brought out the worst in me," Mr. Romanoff said. "Now that we are no longer going to be together, I'm hoping that I can get to know the boy that my daughter is so in love with, the boy that has taken care of her when her mother and myself didn't.

"Just don't screw it up," Mr. Romanoff said. "The last thing I want to see is my daughter not only getting hurt but losing her best friend. Do you understand me?"

Clint hastily nodded his head and mustered up a measly "Yes sir" in response. Mr. Romanoff rose from his chair and made his way across the room to the doorway. He hesitated before exiting and turned around to Clint one more time.

"Have her call me when she's ready to come home," Mr. Romanoff said. Clint nodded in response and watched as Mr. Romanoff vanished from his room. He looked over at Natasha and saw a smile spreading across her face.

"You were awake this entire time," he said. It wasn't a question; it was a statement because he knew she was a light sleeper. Her eyes popped open and she looked right at him with her beautiful blue eyes.

"I think you handled that pretty well," she said with a giggle.

"Your dad still scares me," he said. "I don't care if divorcing your mother will bring out the best in him."

Natasha got up and kissed him on the lips, and then brought her hands up to cup his face. She always loved when he did this to her, and she hoped he liked it as well.

"Am I still at your mercy today?" he asked as she ran her hands down his face and then his neck. She shrugged her shoulders as she continued to run her hands down to his shoulders, but she stopped when she reached his upper arms.

"I think we can make an exception for today," she said. "But you still owe me big time."

Clint laughed as he gently pushed himself up – slowly and carefully so as not to pull at the stitches in his abdomen – and kissed her on the lips with as much energy he could muster. He didn't want it to stop but he could feel the energy draining from him from sitting up for so long. Natasha felt him begin to lean back onto the bed and she put an arm around his back so she could help him lower himself back down onto the bed.

"You've taken such good care of me over the years," she said, her eyes still locked onto his. "I think it's about time I returned the favor."

Clint smirked and reached up to touch the side of her face before she leaned in once again to continue the kiss that Clint had unfortunately stopped. When they broke away once again, Natasha sat down on the edge of the bed and swung her legs up so that she was lying right next to Clint. They had to revise the way they usually laid in bed with one another, but it wasn't hard. Natasha rested her head on Clint's shoulder and laid her hand on his chest, while Clint wrapped his arm around her as if he was protecting her.

Natasha didn't even move when Clint's parents walked back into the room a couple minutes later. She didn't care anymore and she hoped they knew she was never letting go of him ever again.

* * *

**Phew! He's okay! Do you guys still hate me? Are you still mad at me? Please don't be. I just gave you tons of fluff!**

**As always, thanks for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing (especially all of those angry reviews this evening. There were some pretty angry ones). Please continue to review, and let me know if you guys let out that breath you were holding in between the last chapter and this one (don't deny it because I feel like a lot of you were doing that haha).**


	16. Sexual Tension

**First things first, a little correction, and thanks to "flarey phoenix" for pointing it out. Apparently Natasha has green eyes instead of blue. I didn't think they would change Scarlett Johansson's eye color for the film since it was such a minor detail so I just used Scarlett's eye color for this story but Natasha's eye color has now been changed to green.**

**So, with that said, here is chapter 16!**

* * *

Clint was in the hospital for a week and a half. On the fourth day of his stay, he developed a fever and the hospital staff had to prolong his stay. Otherwise, Clint would've been gone by the fifth day.

Natasha refused to leave his side, and yet she did when she had to go to work. Every time she walked out of his room, she felt a sharp stab in her chest. She couldn't help but worry what if something went wrong while she was gone. Clint was healing quickly but there was always that thought in the back of her head that made her worry. If something went wrong, she wouldn't be there to say goodbye.

Steve and Thor always stopped by around the time Natasha had to leave for work and reassured Natasha that if anything were to happen to him, they'd let her know as soon as possible. Natasha would leave for work, a pang of guilt hitting her square in the chest every time, but she would always return to the hospital after her shift to be by Clint's side.

As much as Clint liked having Natasha by his bedside every night, he wished she would sleep in a regular bed at night. He didn't like the position she was in when she slept in that chair every night though she constantly insisted it was actually quite comfortable.

Clint had managed to get Natasha to go home two nights during his stay. The first time was when she returned after her shift at Sweet Creams and told her that she needed to take a shower. She obliged, but she was back within the hour and sleeping in the chair. The second time was a lot harder to argue since Natasha refused to sleep anywhere else but the hospital. They calmly argued back and forth for quite some time until Natasha gave in and promised Clint she would go home and sleep in her own bed for his own sanity, but she said she would be back first thing in the morning.

When Clint was released after his week and a half stay, Natasha made sure she wasn't working so that she could be there for him. She watched as he slowly pushed himself off of the bed and winced with every movement that pained him. Until his parents picked up his pain meds prescription at the pharmacy, he was going to have to deal with the pain that shot through his torso with every move he made.

When Clint had managed to get himself into the back seat of the car with Natasha seated right next to him, his parents drove him straight home. They said that once they got him home and situated, they would pick up his prescription.

When they pulled into the driveway, Natasha immediately got out of the car and rushed over to Clint's door to help him out. As usual, he told Natasha he was fine but Natasha persisted and finally, because he was so exhausted, he let her help him. By the time Clint got in the house, all of the energy had been drained from him and all he wanted was to lie down on the couch.

Natasha helped him get to the couch and she helped him slowly lower himself down into a comfortable position. Once he got situated and his parents brought his bag into the house, they left Natasha and Clint by themselves so they could go pick up Clint's prescription at the pharmacy in town.

They sat on the couch in silence for quite some time. Natasha was cuddled up next to Clint, her feet tucked underneath her and her head resting on his shoulder.

"I really need a shower," he said breaking the silence.

Natasha, almost half asleep, nodded in response.

"Could you help me?"

"Huh? What?" she said in confusion, lifting her head off of his shoulder.

Clint chuckled. "Just to get my shirt off. It kind of hurts to bend and lift in certain ways."

"Oh," Natasha said, relieved. They got off the couch and she followed him up the steps to his bedroom. Clint was winded by the time they reached the top of the stairs but still made his way to his bedroom to grab a change of clothes.

To be honest, Natasha was nervous. She had seen him shirtless many times in the past and she had gotten used to the way his torso looked, but she was nervous to see how ravaged his body was following the accident. It had been a week and a half but everything still had to be raw, and Natasha wasn't sure she could handle it.

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Natasha said, uneasily.

"I'm going to try to pull my arms into my shirt and you just need to lift it off," Clint said, tugging at his shirt to start.

"You know, this would've been easier if you just wore a button down shirt," she teased.

"Yeah, well, I don't own any. Ow!"

"What?" Natasha said, panicked.

Clint drew in a breath through clenched teeth. "Nothing I just hit myself in the ribs. Pull my shirt off now."

Natasha reached above her and gently tugged at his shirt to pull it off. As she did, the fabric revealed the extent of the damage from the accident. His ribs were spattered with blackish-purplish bruises. There was a small incision on his left side where the doctors probably did the procedure to fix his collapsed lung. The worst was the dark pink line going across his stomach, no doubt where they had to cut him open and repair the internal damage.

"Ow," was all she managed to say.

Clint shrugged. "It'll fade. All that matters is that I'm still here."

He grabbed his change of clothes and kissed Natasha on the cheek before walking across the hall into the bathroom. He shut the door and she immediately heard him turn the shower on. It wasn't long until he was singing, and Natasha smiled at the glorious sound.

He didn't take long. Before Natasha knew it, he was standing in his doorway, clean and dressed in a pair of gym shorts, his t-shirt in his hand.

"I'm going to need your help getting my shirt on," he said.

Natasha got up from where she was seated on his bed and took the shirt from his hands. This task was a lot harder seeing as Clint did have to lift his arms to get his shirt on but when they managed to get his arms through the sleeves, it was fine. Natasha couldn't help but brush her fingers against his injuries as she pulled the shirt down all the way.

When she finished, her green eyes connected with his blue-grey ones and he leaned in and kissed her. This kiss was different. There was more meaning behind it, and it was eager as if they needed it right then and there. Clint's hands snaked around her waist and hers reached up to just gently touch his face.

They weren't sure what they were doing when they started moving towards the bed and Natasha helped Clint gently lower himself onto it. Natasha wasn't quite sure what she was doing either when she climbed on top of him, carefully so as not to bump any of the injuries on his body.

By this time, the kiss was even more eager, as if they were hungry for more. Clint ran his hands up her shirt to feel the silkiness of her skin but nothing more.

They heard a door slam from downstairs, and Natasha gasped and instantly broke away from the kiss with her hands over her mouth.

"What are we doing?" she whispered, removing her hands from her mouth but quickly replacing them there.

"Sorry," he said, sitting up and wincing at the pain that shot through his torso. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Natasha, with her hands still covering her mouth, climbed off of Clint's lap and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Nat, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I-I don't know what that was."

Natasha removed her hands from her mouth and let out a breath. "Why did it feel so wrong, but also feel so right?"

"Because that's what couples do. They make out," Clint said sarcastically.

"We've never made out like _that_ before," Natasha said. She still hadn't managed to look at Clint, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to.

Clint was about to respond when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and he and Natasha quickly parted to look somewhat normal. Clint's mom entered his room and tossed the bottle of prescription drugs to Clint. Instinctively, Natasha grabbed them with one hand as they were airborne before they could even reach Clint.

"Nice catch," Mrs. Barton said and walked back down the hall and down the stairs.

"Seriously, nice reflexes," Clint said, and she turned and saw him smiling at her. She handed him the bottle of pills and he got up and walked across the hall to take a dose and wash it down with some water from the tap.

Natasha wondered what had just happened a couple minutes prior. One second they were just kissing like they normally did, the next they were on his bed doing God knows what. Maybe that's what it felt like to _really_ want him, and maybe he _really_ wanted her. Maybe that's what it felt like to physically want each other.

_No_, Natasha thought. _Clint would never do that, especially in his own house. He was completely paranoid around me after his parents had "The Talk" with him for God's sake._

She wondered if maybe that's what it really was as she watched him down the pills and take a swig of water straight from the tap.

_Or maybe_, she thought. _Maybe the accident just knocked some sense out of him._

* * *

By the middle of July, Clint was completely healed. The scars from the surgery were still visible, and would be for the rest of his life, but other than that, it was almost as if nothing ever happened. July brought some intensely scorching hot weather, and Clint and Natasha found themselves mooching off of Thor and his family in order to use his pool.

It wasn't a big deal, seeing as Thor was allowed to invite as many friends over as he pleased. Add to that Loki's friends and Thor's mom and dad could make a fortune off of charging admission if they so pleased.

On scorching hot days, the manager at Natasha's job usually called off several waitresses since business tended to be slow. Not many people wanted to go out to eat and have hot food, and Sweet Creams tended to have a faulty air conditioner anyways. Either way, not many people came in to eat and there was no reason to have very many waitresses working. Natasha enjoyed getting calls from her boss that she didn't have to come into work, and that meant she could hang poolside with Clint at Thor's house.

It was almost in the 100's as Natasha, Peggy, Jane, Pepper, and Maria laid on the lounge chairs on the patio by the pool. Natasha wore a large sunhat that shaded her face and dark sunglasses that wrapped around her face. Many of the guys were surprised when Natasha had taken off her shirt and shorts to expose her black string bikini. It wasn't that they were just being guys – though that was certainly an aspect – they just weren't expecting her to have such a fit body. Out of all of the girls hanging poolside, she was the most toned and Natasha had yoga and Pilates to thank for that.

Natasha was focusing on her book when a shadow was suddenly cast across her. She looked up and saw Clint standing over her with that ridiculously stupid grin on his face that Natasha loved for some reason.

"Do you plan on coming into the pool anytime soon?" he asked, taking a seat on the edge of her lounge chair.

"As soon as I finish my book," she said, but Clint grabbed the book and chucked it behind her chair.

"Jay Gatsby can wait. I can't," he said.

Natasha sighed and slid her sunglasses off of her face. "Okay, I'll go in the pool," she said with a smirk on her face.

Clint got up and Natasha followed but stayed a couple steps behind him. As he reached the edge of the pool, she caught up with him but decided she wasn't ready to go in the pool. Instead, she pushed him in and he hit the water with a big splash. When he resurfaced, Natasha was doubled over laughing.

"What?" she asked as she tried to compose herself. Clint swung his hand across the water and splashed Natasha, who squealed when the cool water made contact with her skin. She tossed her sunhat aside and dove into the pool, resurfacing right in front of Clint.

"You…are in so much trouble for that," Clint said as his hands snaked around her waist and he leaned into kiss her. It was a totally normal kiss until Natasha jumped up and wrapped her legs around Clint. It was another one of those instances where, in the heat of the moment, Natasha wasn't quite sure what she was doing. The kiss deepened into one like that day he came home from the hospital. It was more eager, as if they had a hunger for each other, that they needed each other.

It wasn't until they heard Tony Stark make a snarky comment that they remembered they had an audience.

"Hey, get a room you two!" Tony said from the patio.

Natasha and Clint broke away from the kiss and Natasha quickly unwrapped her legs from around Clint's body. She felt a deep red blush creep up on her cheeks and for the first time she wished she had gotten sunburn to hide the embarrassment that was clearly showing on her face.

* * *

Natasha sat in silence in the backseat of Peggy's car as she rode home with Peggy and Jane. Clint, Steve, Thor, Loki, and Tony were playing a game of football and it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon so Natasha had told Clint she would catch a ride with Peggy and Jane since she had to work in the morning. Natasha was completely lost in thought, staring at the landscape whizzing by her window, that she didn't even realize Peggy had asked her a question.

"Hello, Earth to Natasha!" Peggy said from the driver's seat.

"Huh? Oh what?" Natasha said, being yanked from her thoughts.

"What the hell was that with you and Clint today?" Peggy asked.

Natasha was caught off guard, but at the same time it was a fair thing to ask. She and Clint had been practically giving all of their friends a free show.

"Oh, um, I don't know," Natasha mumbled. "It was nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing," Jane chimed in.

"I know," Natasha whispered. To Peggy and Jane, she almost sounded disappointed. They continued to ride in silence until they reached Natasha's driveway, but Natasha knew the conversation was just getting started when both Peggy and Jane turned around in their seats to face Natasha.

"Okay, spill," Peggy said, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I don't think I should," Natasha mumbled.

"We won't tell. Pinky promise," Jane said, as she and Peggy held out their pinky fingers as an agreement. Natasha linked both of her pinky fingers with Peggy's and Jane's and let out a huge breath.

"It's kind of complicated," Natasha started. "I'm starting to feel different around Clint. I mean, we still love each other and it's not like we're on the rocks or anything. I just…I don't know what it is. It's like we can't control ourselves half the time."

"_Oh_," Jane said.

"You guys haven't…" Peggy trailed off, and it took Natasha a moment to realize what Peggy meant.

"Um, no," Natasha said flatly, looking away in embarrassment.

"I think this is a bit of sexual tension," Jane said.

"Oh God, please. Let's not talk about this," Natasha whined.

"Look Natasha," Peggy said. "We're not saying if we approve or not because it's none of our business, but you and Clint are so cute together and romantically involved with one another. So what if you want to take the next step."

"I just…I've felt like this for a while. Ever since he told me his parents had 'The Talk' with him, I've wondered if he saw me like that. Then the accident happened - ."

"Wait," Jane interjected. "You almost pulled this stunt when he was still injured?"

Natasha blushed from embarrassment. "We stopped, and he apologized afterwards. Neither one of us knew what we were doing. But you didn't let me finish."

Peggy and Jane nodded to let her know that they were listening and Natasha continued.

"So, then the accident happened and I just kind of thought that maybe we shouldn't take anything for granted, but half the time it feels wrong to want to do it. I…I would be sleeping with my best friend."

"That's totally understandable," Jane said, nodding in agreement. "I would feel the same way about Thor."

"I'm surprised you two _haven't_ done the deed yet," Peggy teased and Jane slapped her on the arm.

"So, you don't want to ruin what you guys have," Peggy stated.

"That's how I feel, but I don't want to ask Clint because I feel like that would be such an awkward conversation," Natasha mumbled.

"Oh whatever," Peggy said. "You guys have been through a lot. I think you can handle a little conversation about this."

"Fine," Natasha muttered under her breath. She wanted _this_ conversation to be over. Being in the sun all day had worn her out and she was tired.

"And I don't want to sound like a parent," Jane said. "But if you are going to do this, make sure he doesn't knock you up."

"Jane!" Peggy scolded from the driver's seat.

"It's true," Jane said. "Natasha's too smart to be dealing with a kid."

"Okay, I'm going to go inside because I desperately want this conversation to be over," Natasha said as she pushed open the car door. She yelled a goodbye over her shoulder at she made her way to the front porch. It was still hot out and she could feel the stickiness from the humidity clinging to her body.

As she entered her house and felt the cool air from the central air conditioning hit her, she felt more at ease. As comfortable as her bed may seem and as cool as the house may be, Natasha knew she wouldn't be sleeping well tonight. There was too much to think about in so little time.

* * *

**Oh boy, teenagers. They say the darndest things. I hope this chapter didn't lag or seem lackluster to you guys.**

**As always, thanks to everyone who adds this story to their favorites, signs up for alerts, and reviews. Therefore, review away! I'll always love reading what you guys think!**


	17. Territorial

**Okay you guys we've got QUITE an interesting chapter here so here's chapter 17.**

* * *

Natasha was grateful when the summer started to wind down and football practice started up for Clint. If Clint was at football practice during the day and Natasha worked at night, Natasha found that there would be no reason for temptation. She hoped it would work out for the best.

Both Natasha and Clint were so busy that by the time they would meet up with each other by the end of the evening, they were so exhausted that all they could manage to do is lounge on the couch and watch movies. They would sit in their usual position: her head resting against his shoulder and her feet tucked underneath her while his arm wrapped around her. By the end of the night, one of them was usually asleep.

Natasha had to admit that it seemed like she was avoiding Clint. It's not that she didn't want to be around him, she just didn't want another make out session that progressed to something more. It's not that she didn't want it to happen, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for it. Once she figured out that Clint wanted her physically, she had been scared to even touch him for fear that it would turn into something more.

When Clint asked her to tag along to his football practice one day, Natasha tried to make up as many excuses as possible, all of which were shot down by Clint. He knew her too well, and he could tell she was lying and making up stories. He knew why. Whatever had been going between them since the day he came home from the hospital, she was trying to avoid it, and he didn't blame her. For the most part, Clint had been the one to instigate those situations and it was his fault if it seemed like he was pressuring her. If she wasn't ready, then she wasn't ready.

After much persuasion, Natasha tagged along with Clint to football practice one day, and joined Peggy and Jane in the bleachers to watch the boys practice. Natasha didn't know why Clint had asked her to come; she guessed it was so it could at least seem like they were spending time together. She had no interest in watching the boys practice – the games were far more interesting – and Natasha had taken a liking to the game over the years, so she wasn't paying attention until she noticed a blonde cheerleader make her way over to Clint.

Natasha stiffened. If it were any other cheerleader, Natasha would not have minded, but this specific cheerleader was one that she hoped would never make an appearance in Clint's life ever again. She watched as the cheerleader flirtatiously flipped her hair at Clint as they talked on the field. Natasha didn't even realize she was gripping the edge of the bench so hard that her knuckles were white.

"Natasha, are you okay?" Peggy asked when she noticed how tense she was.

"No," Natasha said through clenched teeth.

Peggy and Jane followed Natasha's line of vision and noticed Clint on the field with the cheerleader.

"Oh, it's _her_," Peggy sneered.

"Yeah, _her_," Natasha said in agreement.

Clint stood there and talked to the cheerleader for a couple more minutes. It was clear that Clint didn't want to be talking to her - but being the gentleman that he was - he kept his cool and politely talked to her. Natasha couldn't help but get up and watch as Bobbi Morse made her way out of the stadium with a ridiculous smile on her face that Natasha couldn't help but want to smack off of her.

* * *

School started before they knew it, and Natasha didn't want to face the fact that this would be Clint's last year of high school. Next year he would be away at college and Natasha would still be stuck in high school with the queen bees and wannabes. Clint's parents got Clint to devise a list of colleges he was interested in applying in, and by the end of August, he had narrowed the list down to ten. Natasha tried to seem proud of him, but it was hard. Being in different schools within the same school district was one thing; a long distance relationship was another.

Along with the limited amount of time they had together, Natasha had to worry about Bobbi constantly talking to Clint. Natasha never had any sort of confrontation with Bobbi in the past but Natasha was constantly on high alert.

Natasha knew that Clint wasn't stupid either. Every time Bobbi approached him in the hallway, he instinctively flinched but he would quickly compose himself and be the super nice gentleman that he is. Many times when Natasha would see Bobbi approach Clint, Natasha would walk right up and lace her fingers through Clint's. Natasha knew Clint wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but Natasha felt better knowing that she made it clear to Bobbi that Clint – to say the least – was her territory.

It was hard for Clint to avoid Bobbi outside of school as well, specifically football games. Since Bobbi was a cheerleader, she felt that she could socialize with any football player, but she was always hovering around Clint. Clint knew Natasha didn't like it, and he always tried to avoid conversation with Bobbi at all costs. Clint didn't know why Bobbi was speaking to him, seeing as their last encounter was the eighth grade farewell dance, so he knew something was up.

Clint got the answer to his question in the beginning of October when the school announced that the seniors could begin voting for Homecoming King and Queen nominees. Bobbi clearly wanted to vie for Homecoming Queen, and she was trying to sway Clint to be her king. Clint had no desire to be Homecoming King, let alone be nominated for it. When Bobbi brought up the topic one day in the hallway, he made that perfectly clear.

Unfortunately, by the end of the week, Clint was nominated for Homecoming King, along with Steve and Thor. To Clint and Natasha's dismay, Bobbi was nominated for Homecoming Queen. Natasha knew Bobbi would put up a great fight so she could win Homecoming Queen and Clint could be her Homecoming King.

Natasha, in all honesty, didn't want to go to Homecoming. Not with Clint nominated as king and Bobbi nominated as queen. She knew Bobbi would win for sure, and Natasha didn't want to face watching Clint being crowned Bobbi's king.

On Homecoming night, Natasha took a seat among the crowd with Peggy, Jane, Bruce, as well as Pepper and Tony – who were both home for homecoming this year – and waited for the game to start. For the middle of October, it was unusually cold. Natasha was woefully unprepared, wearing a light pea coat and a pair of skinny jeans. She had no scarf or gloves, and the jeans clung to her skin which made it seem like she wasn't wearing any pants at all.

Natasha couldn't keep herself focused on the game. During half time, Homecoming King and Queen would be crowned and Natasha hoped Clint's name wouldn't be called. Natasha was sure Bobbi was going to win, and Natasha didn't want to know what Bobbi had planned if Clint was crowned her king.

Before she knew it, half time had arrived, and the floats were a blur as they paraded around the stadium. In all honesty, Natasha didn't even know what the theme was this year, and quite frankly, she didn't care. She had more important things to worry about.

Once the floats finished their parade, Principal Fury walked out onto the field and called upon the nominees to make their way onto the field. Natasha watched both Bobbi and Clint walked out onto the field separately. Once all of the nominees were lined up on the field, Principal Fury congratulated all of them on getting nominated, and then, he asked the marching band for a drum roll.

Principal Fury held a white envelop, which no doubt contained the winners. It was almost as if it was in slow motion for Natasha. She watched as Principal Fury placed his finger underneath the envelop flap and slowly tore across it to rip it open. He pulled out the card containing the winners' names, and Natasha held her breath.

"Your Homecoming King and Queen are…Bobbi Morse and Clint Barton!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as Natasha cursed under her breath. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, Peggy, Jane, Bruce, Pepper, and Tony weren't even cheering. Clearly they knew that something wasn't right either.

Natasha watched as Clint dragged his feet to get crowned while Bobbi hammed it up, acting like movie star as she waved at the adoring audience. Natasha had to admit this was really lame. Clint was handed a cheap plastic crown while Bobbi was handed a cheap tiara and a bouquet of roses.

That's when Natasha noticed Bobbi's body language. She was moving closer and closer to Clint by the second, and she kept leaning in towards him. It was almost as if she was waiting for Clint to turn towards her. And that's when Clint made the mistake. He just slightly turned towards Bobbi and she dropped the bouquet of roses, and reached up and kissed Clint on the lips.

Natasha put her head in her hands. She didn't want to watch this. She could feel the eyes of Peggy, Jane, Bruce, Pepper, and Tony on her.

"He pushed her away, Natasha," Peggy said reassuringly.

"He looks pissed," Jane said.

Natasha looked up and saw Clint stomping off of the field back to the locker room. She noticed Bobbi looked like she was about to have a hissy fit right on the field. Some things never change.

"She was out of line," Pepper said as she snuggled closer to Tony.

Natasha wasn't sure if she wanted to stay for the rest of the game. She did know for sure that she felt like the wide open stadium was closing in on her. It felt like everyone was standing too close to her for comfort.

"I need to get out of here," Natasha said as she hastily stood up and made her way to the aisle. She practically ran down the steps and made her way to the bathrooms. She felt like she was going to be sick. Going to the tight spaced bathrooms wasn't going to help but if she was going to be sick, it was probably best to not do it in the stands.

She pushed open the door and saw the last person she wanted to see right now. Standing in front of one of the mirrors was Bobbi, applying more lip gloss. Natasha stood in the doorway for what felt like an eternity, waiting for Bobbi to sense her presence.

"Stop staring at me, loser," Bobbi said without turning her head to look at Natasha. She applied another layer of lip gloss and smacked her lips together. She finally turned to look at Natasha with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Enjoying the game?" Bobbi asked.

Natasha didn't answer her and reduced her eyes to slits.

"Don't blame me for your boyfriend's infidelity," Bobbi said.

"That was out of line you skank," Natasha hissed.

"Oh don't be such a baby. We were just having a little fun."

"Yeah, because Clint looked like he was having a blast," Natasha spat sarcastically.

Bobbi scowled and took a couple steps towards Natasha.

"I never understood what he saw in you," Bobbi muttered just loud enough for Natasha to hear.

"He can do so much better," Bobbi continued. "I don't see the two of you lasting once he graduates and leaves for college. He needs to grow close to someone else who's in his own class.

"I think I'm just perfect for him. He's a football player and I'm a cheerleader. We're both graduating this year. And I'm sure we'll have a stronger bond once Powderpuff football rolls around."

"Excuse me?" Natasha said.

"Powderpuff football. The school is starting it for the girls this year. A junior versus senior rivalry game that will take place the night before Thanksgiving. The football team is going to be coaching the girls. And since I'm going to be on the senior team, I'm sure Clint and I will grow even closer."

"He doesn't even like you, you dumb fucking bitch!" Natasha yelled in disgust.

"We'll see about that," Bobbi said as she tried to slink past Natasha but Natasha's instincts took over. She wasn't going to let Bobbi leave the bathroom without Natasha making herself clear. Natasha grabbed Bobbi's arm and swung her around so that she was facing Natasha. Then, Natasha grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her up against the wall and pressed her forearm against Bobbi's throat. Bobbi squealed in alarm, but otherwise, didn't put up a fight. Natasha had her pinned against the wall so there was no way she could try to escape.

"Listen," Natasha sneered. "Clint is mine. He's my boyfriend. If you so much as _look_ at him again, I will kick your mother fucking ass. You're all talk, but as evidenced right now, you don't know how to fight back.

Natasha felt Bobbi swallow in fear underneath her arm, but Natasha wasn't done.

"And just so you know, since I'm a junior, I'll be joining Powderpuff football. Not so I can keep an eye on you while you're around Clint, but so I can _take you out_. Do we have an understanding?"

Bobbi nodded, her eyes wide with fear.

"Now," Natasha said. "Get out of my goddamn face."

Natasha released Bobbi and she ran out of the bathroom with her tail between her legs. Natasha never thought she'd see the day that she would get to use her self-defense skills on someone but she was glad that someone was Bobbi Morse.

* * *

The Stroudsburg Mountaineers won the homecoming game 28-7. Natasha never got to see the rest of the game. She wasn't sure she could bear watching Bobbi prance around on the sidelines in her cheerleader's uniform for the remainder of the game so Natasha took a walk around the parking lot. Every so often, Natasha would hear a cheer erupt from the stadium and she hoped the Mountaineers had managed to score a touchdown.

When she heard the final buzzer, signifying the end of the fourth quarter, the crowd erupted in cheers and she saw the home side stand up in celebration. She assumed the Mountaineers had won.

Natasha waited for the crowds to dissipate before she made her way to stand outside of the locker room to wait for Clint. There was a part of Natasha that was sort of angry at Clint for letting Bobbi kiss him. He knew Bobbi's recent behavior was very suspicious so he should have seen it coming but Natasha knew she couldn't be mad at him since he pulled away immediately when Bobbi's lips connected with his.

Natasha heard the screech of the locker room door opening and watched as the football players filed out of the room. Clint was one of the last ones out of the locker room and he looked shocked to see Natasha standing outside the door.

"Hey," he said flatly.

"Hey," Natasha said a little perkier. He was shocked at how calm and happy she sounded.

"So…" he trailed off. He knew that the stunt that Bobbi pulled at half time was something he shouldn't be apologizing for, but he couldn't help but feel extremely guilty.

"So, about that stunt at half time," Natasha said innocently.

"I'm sorry. So, so sorry," he said apologetically. Natasha giggled and leaned in to kiss him. Clint felt extremely tense as she wrapped her arms around his back, but he relaxed as soon as the kiss deepened. She felt him place his hands on her hips and he leaned into the kiss a little more. When they broke apart, he was smiling at her.

"So you're not mad?" Clint asked.

"Oh, I'm furious, just not with you," she said running her hands down his arms.

"Why do you care?" he asked. "If she does it again, I'll knock her the fuck out. I'm not afraid to hit a girl."

Natasha giggled. "That won't be necessary. I have my own plan," she said, smirking.

"I don't like that look in your eye, Nat," Clint said. "It kind of scares me."

"Clint, you're going to have to teach me everything you can about football between now and the night before Thanksgiving," Natasha said.

"You're going to do Powderpuff football aren't you?" he asked.

Natasha nodded.

"Well, I guess it's a constructive way to take your anger out on her," Clint said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Right. Constructive," Natasha agreed sarcastically.

Clint smiled at her. "Is it wrong that I feel really turned on right now?"

Natasha's eyes widened and Clint noticed his mistake.

"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't – I mean, we haven't talked about this so I shouldn't have said that."

Natasha was silent. Clint knew that was why she had been avoiding him. Their sexual frustration was intimidating to her. They hadn't talked about it at all so jokes about a non-existent sex life were clearly off limits.

"It was just a joke," he said. "I'm sorry."

Natasha had calmed down and was letting out a long breath. "No, it's okay. I feel like maybe it's time we did talk about this."

"Tasha, I'm not pressuring you. I promise," he said defensively. "I'm sorry I said that."

"I'm not ready," she whispered.

"And that's fine," Clint said. "I'm totally fine with that."

Natasha let out another breath. "Okay," she said. "Okay, good."

He slung an arm across her shoulders and they started walking towards the parking lot.

"But really," he said. "The fact that you're angry is really sexy."

Natasha laughed and she wrapped her arms around his torso as they walked off into the night.

* * *

**Well hello feisty Natasha! And for those of you that don't know what Powderpuff football is, it's flag football for girls. I did it my senior year of high school but we played dirty and we tackled so you can see why Natasha wants to do it haha.**

**As always, thanks for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. So review away! I'll always love reading what you guys think!**


	18. Powderpuff Football

**Are you ready for some football? I know I am! If I make football confusing for you guys in this chapter, I'm sorry in advance. I barely understand it myself, but it's such a fun sport.**

**Also, if you'd like some interesting music to listen to while you're reading the intense football game, I suggest "Both of Us" by B.o.B featuring Taylor Swift, "Make Me Wanna Die" by The Pretty Reckless, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. I listened to them while I wrote this and they're perfect.**

**Now, without further ado, here is chapter 18!**

* * *

Along with the after school practices the junior Powderpuff football team had, Natasha practiced in Clint's backyard with him to learn everything she needed to know about football. When she signed up for Powderpuff football, she managed to recruit Peggy and Jane to do it as well. They weren't very keen on the idea at first but Natasha had managed to pitch the sport to them perfectly then they were immediately on board.

Natasha had managed to be placed on both the offensive line and the defensive line. They placed her at wide receiver on the offensive line and outside linebacker on the defensive line. Clint acted as Natasha's own personal spy for the senior team and told Natasha that Bobbi was playing fullback on the offensive line. It was perfect so Natasha could easily target Bobbi.

The night before the Powderpuff game, Natasha was in Clint's backyard practicing every single play her team had devised for the game. They had been practicing for at least four hours; Natasha had insisted they start at four o'clock, right after they had finished their homework. Both Clint and Natasha were exhausted, but Natasha didn't want to stop. If she made one minor mistake during the game, it could cost her team the game and she didn't want to give Bobbi the satisfaction of winning.

"Nat," Clint said resting his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. "We have to stop. I'm tired, and you look like you're about to keel over and die."

Natasha shook her head. "No, one more play."

Clint stood up straight and walked over to Natasha. He stood right in front of her and looked her straight in the eye before grabbing her by the waist and hoisting her over his shoulder.

"Clint!" she squealed as she squirmed in his grasp. "Let go of me!"

"No Nat," he said as he started walking towards his house. "We're done. You're done. You need rest the night before a game."

"Fine," she huffed. "Could you at least put me down?"

Clint grabbed her by the waist again and set her down firmly on the ground. She really did look exhausted, so Clint had to draw the line somewhere.

"One more play," she whispered.

"No," Clint said bluntly.

"Please," she pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

"No," Clint said. "I don't know why you're working yourself so hard. You're going to do fine."

"You know this isn't about winning, Clint," Natasha said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"As much as I hate Bobbi, you have to play fair during the game," Clint said. "Not to mention that I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt," Natasha said shaking her head.

"You don't know that."

Natasha shrugged. Over the years, she watched Clint take many hits in football. Yes, she worried but she knew he was always protected with his gear on. Even though Natasha would be playing Powderpuff football – basically flag football for girls – the girls got rough and there would be nothing to protect them if and when they got tackled by someone from the opposing team.

Okay, so Natasha was hell bent on wreaking vengeance upon Bobbi and that made her slightly reckless. Natasha didn't blame Clint for worrying that she'd get hurt but that's why they'd been practicing for the past four hours. It wasn't just so she wouldn't make a mistake that would cost her team the game; it was so she wouldn't get hurt. One minor misstep and she could end up with a twisted ankle or a sprained wrist.

"Nat," Clint said as he wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her close to him. "Just…Just be careful."

"I promise," she said as she leaned in and kissed him with all of the energy she had left.

* * *

Natasha couldn't keep her leg from bouncing up and down as she sat in the car with her father on the way to the football field for the Powderpuff football game. Normally, her father would not have been home in time for such an event but with his new job at OSCORP being extremely flexible, he was able to leave early enough to be home in time to take Natasha to the game and attend it.

Following the divorce, Mr. Romanoff had managed to acquire many of the possessions he and Mrs. Romanoff had bought during their marriage, including Mrs. Romanoff's car and the house. However, Mr. Romanoff was not going to be able to handle walking into Von Doom Industries everyday knowing that his ex-wife was a couple floors up canoodling with her new fiancé. Therefore, Mr. Romanoff took a stand and quit Von Doom Industries.

Natasha had to admit that she was scared as to what their financial situation would be like when her father quit his job at Von Doom Industries. At the time, Natasha was the only one with a job, not to mention it was only part-time. However, within a week, Mr. Romanoff got a call from Norman Osborn, the owner and CEO of OSCORP. Mr. Osborn liked Mr. Romanoff's charisma and his intelligence, and offered him a job as the head of the financial department of OSCORP.

It worked out for the best. Not only was Mr. Romanoff getting paid twice as much as he was than when he was at Von Doom Industries, but Mr. Osborn was extremely lenient with Mr. Romanoff when it came to Natasha. Mr. Osborn could sympathize because he had a son of his own that he was raising by himself.

"Natasha," her father said from the driver's seat. "You be careful out there tonight."

"Dad," Natasha whined.

"I want you to have fun, but be careful."

"First Clint, and now you. You guys act like I'm reckless," Natasha whined.

"Well, Clint's smart to tell you to be careful."

Clint was still slightly terrified of Mr. Romanoff, but none of their recent encounters have been as tense as their first meeting. Every so often, Clint came over to Natasha's house for dinner so Mr. Romanoff could get to know him better. The dinners were a little more laid back and Clint felt that he could talk freely about anything, but he still had to bite his tongue when it came to talking about his and Natasha's relationship.

They arrived at the stadium and Mr. Romanoff parked the car. They walked in silence to the stadium entrance and before they parted, Mr. Romanoff gave her a hug and wished her luck. She crossed the field to the away side where the juniors would be. Peggy and Jane had already arrived and were stretching. Natasha joined them and wrapped the belt of flags around her.

Natasha could make out Bobbi from across the field stretching her arms and legs. Peggy and Jane were also on board for targeting Bobbi, and planned on playing rough.

The teams were called to center field by Assistant Coach Coulson and Coach Ross, and the two teams hustled to reach the coaches.

"Now, we want a clean and fair game from you girls," Coulson said. "You can tackle but make sure it's fair. If it isn't, we will call you out on it. Do we have an understanding?"

The girls chanted that they agreed and Coach Ross prepared for the coin toss. The seniors chose heads, and sure enough, it landed on heads. The teams took their places at their respective end zones and the juniors prepared for kick off.

The clock on the scoreboard was set – it would be going non-stop throughout the game – and Natasha watched as Jane ran up to the ball and kicked it. She started to run as it flew through the air, and Natasha saw Bobbi catch it and take off running. The rest of the junior team knew that Natasha had a personal vendetta against Bobbi, so they pulled back and let Natasha go after her.

Bobbi looked stricken with fear as Natasha drew closer to her, and Natasha didn't hold back as she slammed her shoulder into Bobbi and watched her tumble to the ground, fumbling the ball. Natasha walked over to Bobbi, still lying on the ground, and smirked at her.

"You better be ready Morse," Natasha said, "Because there's more where that came from."

* * *

By the end of the first quarter, Natasha had managed to tackle Bobby six times, and grab her flags three times. The seniors had scored one touchdown while the juniors had yet to score, but that didn't mean they weren't trying.

Natasha was by far the hardest worker on the team. Playing on both offense and defense, and taking down several of the senior girls, she was pretty much carrying the weight of the team on her shoulders.

Peggy and Jane were working just as hard. They provided back up for Natasha if a senior girl managed to slip past her. Both Peggy and Jane seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves and had also managed to take down a couple senior girls in the process.

Natasha was pulled out of the game in the beginning of the second quarter so she could take a break. Playing on both offense and defense was exhausting, but after a minute or two, she was itching to get back into the game. Her teammates were doing just fine without her and Peggy and Jane were still managing to target Bobbi, but she needed to get back into the game to feel that adrenaline rush.

With eight minutes left on the clock for the second quarter, Natasha was thrown back into the game. The juniors were in possession of the ball and they had 70 yards to go, with one down. The team decided they would pass the ball to Natasha and she would run on the outer edge down the home side. Hopefully that would give her a clear path to the end zone. Natasha was quick so hopefully she would be able to make it 70 yards.

Natasha watched as one of her teammates snapped the ball back to Peggy, the quarterback, and Natasha took off running so Peggy could get a clear path to pass the ball to her. When Natasha finally got open, Peggy sent the ball spiraling in Natasha's direction, and thankfully, Natasha caught it.

She sprinted down the outer edge of the field with the ball tucked close to her chest. As she passed by the seniors, she heard Clint cheering her on. She watched as the end zone started to close in on her. Thirty yards, twenty yards, ten yards, and finally, touchdown! Peggy and Jane joined her in the end zone and slammed into her to celebrate the touchdown.

As they made their way to the sideline so their teammates could kick a field goal, Natasha could see Bobbi arguing with Coulson, one of the referees for the game. She clearly wasn't happy that Natasha had scored a touchdown and was obviously trying to get them to overrule it. When Bobbi shot a look over at Natasha, Natasha retaliated by flipping her off.

The juniors got the field goal, which meant they were tied with the seniors. For the remainder of the second quarter, neither of the teams scored. The juniors had begun to up their game and started to play dirty. Natasha didn't hold back on taking out Bobbi any time she had the ball, and neither did Peggy or Jane. By the end of the second quarter the teams were still tied.

Halftime for the Powderpuff game just acted as break time for the players and the audience. Fifteen minutes were put on the scoreboard to countdown until the next quarter, and Peggy, Jane, and Natasha made their way to the bleachers to relax. They weren't alone long until Bobbi and her entourage stomped their way up the bleachers to Natasha.

"Cut the shit Romanoff!" Bobbi spat. "The only reason you got that touchdown is because you're dating a football player."

"Oh my God," Natasha whined. "Have you ever even _played_ football? I got that touchdown fair and square."

"You probably stepped out of bounds," Bobbi sneered. "You were so close to the edge but of course you ran right by Clint on the sidelines so of course he'd vouch for you."

"Why can't you just admit that I'm actually good at this and you're not?"

Bobbi lunged for Natasha but her friends held her back and told her to save it for the game.

"You better watch your back Romanoff," Bobbi called over her shoulder as her and her friends descended the steps.

Peggy and Jane started laughing at Bobbi's immaturity and before they knew if, halftime was over. The juniors gathered down on the sidelines and quickly strategized for the second half. They would be in possession of the ball, so the seniors would be kicking off. The juniors and seniors took their places at their respective end zones and the seniors kicked off.

Natasha watched as the ball flew through the air and headed straight for her. She called out to her teammates that she was going to catch, and catch it she did as she took off towards the opposite end zone. Natasha dodged several senior players and thought she was in the clear, but she wasn't expecting the blow from her left side that she received from Bobbi. Bobbi tackled her to the ground and kept her pinned. Bobbi's knee was jammed into Natasha's stomach and Bobbi had Natasha's arms pinned above her head.

"I told you to watch your back," Bobbi snarled.

Natasha mustered up all the strength she had to knock Bobbi off of her and flip her over to pin her to the ground. Natasha grabbed Bobbi's arms and pinned them above her head, but jammed her knee into Bobbi's throat.

"_Do not fuck with me Morse_," Natasha snarled, and then released Bobbi.

No one seemed to notice Bobbi and Natasha's exchange, so Natasha rushed to huddle with her teammates and decide on their next play. The juniors were going to try to confuse the seniors by having Peggy pass the ball off to Natasha, and then Natasha would discreetly pass the ball off to Jane. Natasha could feel her body taking a beating, and there was no doubt that she would be bruised all over in the morning, but the adrenaline continued to pulse through her body.

The juniors took their places and Natasha watched as the ball was snapped back to Peggy and Natasha ran over to get the ball. Jane was coming towards her and Natasha passed off the ball to Jane as secretly as she could, and continued to run to make it seem like she had the ball. She knew it would be coming, so Natasha wasn't surprised when Bobbi slammed into her side once again. Bobbi was genuinely convinced Natasha had the ball and threw a bit of a hissy fit when she realized Natasha didn't have it.

The most recent hit Natasha received from Bobbi sent a stab of pain through her hip bone. She moved a bit to make sure that nothing ws broken. There was no intense pain but Natasha was pretty sure she was going to have quite an interesting bruise there in the morning.

That's how the remainder of the third quarter played out. Bobbi targeted Natasha, even if she didn't have the ball. Bobbi constantly made up some lame excuse that she saw that Natasha had the ball in her possession or that she must have tossed it to someone else. The latter proved that Bobbi didn't know the first thing about football. Bobbi's constantly tackling of Natasha earned her several personal fouls, and even cost her team as well.

By the end of the third quarter, the seniors and juniors were still tied 7-7. Either one of the teams had to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter in order to avoid the game going into overtime. The juniors were starting to take a beating, especially Natasha. She ached everywhere and her elbow was scraped up. As exhausted as she was, she wanted to go back in to the game.

The junior football player coaches told Natasha to sit out for the first couple minutes and then they would throw her back in for the remainder of the game. Natasha watched as her teammates tried to run the ball but failed. When the ball was in the seniors' possession, the juniors couldn't manage to tackle so they had to settle for grabbing the flags. At one point, Jane had grabbed Bobbi's flags but they didn't come off; Bobbi had tied her flags onto her clothing, which resulted in another penalty.

The junior football player coaches sent Natasha back into the game around the eight minute mark again. The juniors were on defense and the seniors were in possession of the ball. Natasha was going to take Bobbi down with all of the energy she could manage. Natasha saw the girl in the center snap the ball back to the quarterback and pass it to Bobbi. Natasha ran towards Bobbi and slammed into her, and she hit the ground with a thud.

It continued like that until the ball was in the juniors' possession. They had about six minutes left on the clock with five yards to go, and the juniors' plan was to give the ball to Natasha. The seniors were clearly on their high horses all night, thinking they were going to win just because they were seniors, so they weren't on their A-game.

It was quick. The play was over before it even started. The ball was snapped back and Peggy tossed it off to Natasha. As soon as she got the ball, Bobbi slammed into her, tackling her to the ground. Everything was fine until she felt the sharp stab of pain shoot up and down her leg from her knee.

Natasha had a high tolerance for pain but that usually meant she had to let out a string of curses, and so she did as she clutched her leg.

"Oh stop whining you big baby," Bobbi sneered as she walked off. Coach Coulson, Coach Ross, Peggy, Jane, and several other teammates were huddled around her as Coach Coulson tried to get her to bend her leg. No doubt, it hurt and she let out a whimper as the pain shot up her leg once again.

Next thing she knew, Clint was kneeling next to her with a panicked look on his face.

"I'm fine Clint," she muttered, but let out another whimper as Coach Coulson bent her knee again. "I have a high tolerance for pain."

Clint brushed a piece of hair out of her face and asked Coach Coulson if she was going to be okay.

"I don't think anything is broken Barton," Coulson said. "But she may have damaged either her ACL or her meniscus."

Clint pushed off from the ground and stomped over to the seniors' sideline and found Bobbi. He grabbed her by the shirt and pushed her up against the fence.

"That was out of line Morse," Clint growled.

"You want to get rough Clint?" Bobbi teased.

Clint grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her up against the fence again.

"Natasha has been playing fair all night. All of her tackles have been clean and fair, whereas you have been nothing but a cold hearted bitch and have been personally throwing the game."

"I have not!" Bobbi screamed. Clint shoved her one more time and turned around to see Natasha being hoisted up from the ground by Peggy and Jane. He ran back out onto the field to see how she was doing, but she wasn't making her way to the sidelines. She was actually heading towards the team huddle.

"Nat, what are you doing?" Clint asked.

She turned her head to face him. "Finishing the game. They forgot to stop the clock so we only have two minutes left."

"You've got to be kidding me, Tasha. You're injured," Clint said.

"Like I said, I have a high tolerance for pain," she said as Peggy and Jane helped her limp off towards the team huddle.

Natasha had to admit that her knee hurt like hell, but not as badly as it did at first so there must not be major damage. Besides, she wasn't going to stand for sitting out of the game for something so minor. They had two minutes left to score a touchdown, and Natasha was not going to stand for going into overtime.

Natasha wasn't going to be able to run very far so the juniors were going to pass her the ball and clear a path through the line of scrimmage so she could score. It was going to be a difficult feat but the juniors had worked hard all night and they believed it was possible.

Natasha stood bearing more weight on her left leg than her right so that when it came time for her to run, it would seem easier. The ball was tossed back to Peggy who tossed it to Natasha. Natasha watched as the juniors fought a good fight against the seniors but made good on their promise to clear a path for Natasha to the end zone. She took off for the end zone, feeling the pain from her knee dissipate as the adrenaline kicked in.

There were six seconds left on the clock when Natasha entered the end zone. She turned around to watch the time run out on the clock and the buzzer echoed throughout the stadium. Cheers erupted from the juniors and the audience in the stands. Her teammates gathered around her and hugged her. The juniors had beaten the seniors 13-7.

Before Natasha knew it, Clint was standing in front of her. Before the final play, he looked pissed as she walked off to finish out the game. Now, he looked proud of her. He didn't say anything. He just leaned in and kissed her. Natasha's knees gave way and Clint supported her.

"Okay stubborn," he said when broke away from her. "Will you please go get some medical attention?"

It was hard for Natasha to ignore the throbbing in her right knee now that all of the adrenaline had left her system. She simply nodded and Clint scooped her up, bridal-style like he usually does, and carried her off of the field. The school had an ambulance on stand-by just in case any players got hurt during the game, and Clint carried her to one of the paramedics. He placed her on the bed in the ambulance as the paramedics began to ice her knee. Natasha's father made an appearance a couple minutes later, and the paramedics began to inform him that they wouldn't know the damage for sure unless they did some X-rays. With that said, they shut the doors to the ambulance, and Natasha's father yelled that he would be right behind them.

* * *

Natasha didn't like hospitals. Then again, no one really did. Ever since Clint's accident back in the summer, she never wanted to be back in one of them. Unfortunately, she was, and it was because of a stupid injury that Bobbi Morse had caused.

She couldn't help but bite her nails out of nervousness as she laid on a cot in the emergency room. The only thing separating her and another patient was a sheer blue curtain. She could only imagine what the patients on either sides of her were like and that made Natasha bite her nails even harder.

Ironically, Dr. Connors was her doctor, and he immediately remembered her from when Clint had his accident. When she had arrived, they took her in to the room for X-rays, and now she was just waiting for the results.

Her father had arrived several minutes after her, but Clint was still missing in action. This made her worry even more. Clint hadn't said that he would be right behind her but she assumed he would come. The fact that he hadn't arrived yet scared the living hell out of her.

A couple more minutes went by and the sheer blue curtain was pulled back to reveal Clint smiling back at her. She was relieved that he was here and she could stop worrying.

"What did I say to you last night?" Clint asked.

"Be careful," she replied innocently.

Clint chuckled and leaned down, bracing his arms on both sides of her, and kissed her.

"Where have you been?" she asked as he took a seat in the empty chair beside the bed.

Clint leaned down and rummaged around in the bag he had been carrying and pulled out a football. It was the football from the game, only there were signatures scribbled all across it.

"Crowning you the MVP of the very first Powderpuff game," Clint said, handing her the souvenir. "All of your teammates signed it. You really deserved it, considering that stupid stunt you pulled within the last couple minutes."

Natasha giggled as she took the football from Clint and looked at all the names. She could easily make out Peggy's and Jane's signatures from the cluster of names.

Dr. Connors approached Natasha and immediately saw Clint. The two shook hands and Dr. Connors made a snarky yet funny comment abut the tables being turned. Fortunately for Natasha, there wasn't major damage to her knee. She had only managed to stretch the fibers of her ACL. She would be sore and in a little pain for only a couple weeks as long as she rested, but other than that, she was going to be fine and there would be no permanent damage.

Dr. Connors handed her the discharge papers and bid her goodnight. Natasha was ready to go home. She had had enough of hospitals for her liking. When she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, Clint slid his hand under her knees and rested his other arm behind her back.

"You like carrying me don't you?" she asked with a giggle.

"I find it extremely romantic," he said. "And it puts you at my mercy."

Natasha scowled but it was quickly replaced with a slight smile. Mr. Romanoff reappeared and Natasha told him she was going to be fine and was ready to go home. As Clint carried her out of the hospital – a feat Natasha didn't think would be possible since hospitals were strict about discharged patients just waltzing out – she rested her head on his shoulder and let the steady rhythm of his footsteps put her to sleep.

* * *

**Okay, two things. I have no idea how ACL tears work so please don't judge me on that. They never address that sort of stuff on _Grey's Anatomy_ haha. Second, Coach Ross has no relation to the Marvel character Betty Ross (Bruce Banner/The Hulk's love interest). Coach Ross is not Betty Ross' father. Coach Ross was the football coach at my high school for over 40 years, and he retired two years ago. Like I said, I add in teachers I had in high school and Coach Ross also taught Ecology and I had him in his final year of teaching. And then retired from coaching football the following year. I just wanted to clear it up so that all of you Marvel fanatics weren't thinking this was Betty Ross' father or something.**

**As always, thanks for signing up for alerts, adding this your favorites, and reviewing. With that said, review away! I want to know what you guys think about Natasha and Bobbi kicking the shit out of each other during Powderpuff football.**


	19. Fifth Avenue

**Hey everyone! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I got slammed with both 8-4 shifts at my job this weekend so I was too tired to do anything by the time I got home afterwards. But I finally finished this chapter! Hooray! Clint and Natasha have some escapades in New York City for the next couple chapters, and this is the first one. So, here it is, chapter 19. Enjoy!**

* * *

Natasha's knee injury was minor, a sprain to say the least. Over the course of the long weekend for Thanksgiving break, Natasha spent her time on either her living room couch or her bed. Despite her many protests, Clint and her father would not have her walking around and injuring her knee any further.

With the exception of Thanksgiving, Clint went to Natasha's house every day to spend time with her. She almost always complained about how bored she was with being cooped up in the house, and hated being confined to either her bedroom or the living room.

By Monday evening, the night before they were to return to school after Thanksgiving break, Natasha's knee still hadn't healed well, so Mr. Romanoff took her to the family doctor to get it checked out. Clint hadn't gone with them to the doctor but told Natasha that she should call him when she got home to tell him what was wrong with her knee.

Natasha called Clint around 9:00, as soon as she left the doctor with her father. Natasha told Clint that the doctor had given her a set of crutches just so she could get around school during the day. Otherwise, she had to stay off of her knee. The fact that Natasha was going to be hobbling around school like a cripple didn't please her but Clint chuckled at her comment and promised her he would help her get anywhere she needed to go, even if it meant he had to leave his classes early and go all the way to the other end of the school for her.

Natasha was greeted with cheers on Tuesday morning when she arrived at her homeroom. Many of her classmates were impressed that she had managed to win the game on an injured knee and that she helped the junior class win the very first Powderpuff football game. The majority of her classmates in her homeroom also believed that Bobbi was completely out of line throughout the entire game. They weren't siding with Natasha because she was in their class; they were siding with her because they knew Natasha was right and Bobbi was wrong.

Natasha was practically treated like royalty in the remaining weeks of school before Christmas break. Even after Natasha's knee had healed, her classmates were still treating her well and saying hi to her in the hallways.

"It's like I'm dating a celebrity," Clint joked as he walked Natasha to her calculus class hand in hand.

"Oh shut up," Natasha said, playfully hitting him in the arm with her free hand.

They had stopped outside of her calculus class and she turned to face him, her fingers still laced through his.

"So, I've got to ask you something," she said, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

"Sure," Clint said.

"So, you know how I'm supposed to practically spend all of Christmas break in New York City at my grandparents'?" she asked, and he nodded. Natasha took it as a sign to continue.

"Well, my grandparents usually go to Connecticut after Christmas, and my dad will be working, so I realized I would be all alone in the big city. So, I asked my grandparents if it would be okay if…you could stay at their apartment with me."

"What?" Clint asked.

"After Christmas of course," Natasha added. "I wouldn't ask you to spend Christmas away from your family."

"So you're asking me if I would…"

"Come stay in New York with me after Christmas, yes," she said, finishing his sentence.

Clint was taken off guard. Of course he wanted to spend every waking second he had with her, but Clint wasn't sure how his parents were going to take it. Right now, he was finding it incredibly hard to restrain himself from telling her yes.

"My grandparents won't be there so you won't have to face them," Natasha said quickly. She was almost putting too much pressure on him.

"Talk it over with your parents. I don't want them to be mad at me. But please Clint, I want you to come. We can spend New Year's in Times Square, or somewhere else. And I can take you to all of my favorite places. Just…please," she begged, practically taunting him.

She was _begging_ for Christ's sake and all he wanted to do was tell her yes, but Clint knew that if he told her yes on the spot and then his parents told him he couldn't go, he didn't want to see the disappointment in her face, in those beautiful green eyes of hers. The bell rang from over the speaker system, and Natasha jumped at the noise.

"Sorry, sorry," she said frantically and apologetically. "I made you late. But, just think it over and ask your parents please?"

"Y-yeah," Clint stammered and he kissed her fingers that were still laced between his and then felt the emptiness as she let go to enter her calculus classroom.

* * *

Clint had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach when he approached his parents to ask about the trip to New York City. He knew they wouldn't agree to let him go. The first thing that would pop into their heads was that it was a way for Natasha and Clint to have sex without someone bothering them. Admittedly, Clint and Natasha hadn't talked about having sex since that night following the homecoming game, and part of Clint was convinced that Natasha wanted to stay with her in New York because she was finally ready.

Clint immediately pushed that thought to the back of his mind because he thought it made him a horrible person to think that. He didn't need sex. He wasn't like normal teenage boys in which sex was on their minds every seven seconds. He loved Natasha with all of his heart and he was perfectly fine with spending a night cuddled up with her on the couch.

Clint cleared his throat when he approached his parents, who were seated at the kitchen table drinking coffee. His parents looked up at him with concern.

"Hey, umm, can I ask you something?" Clint said when he had his parents' attention. His parents muttered their responses and Clint continued.

"So, Natasha is spending her entire Christmas break in New York City at her grandparents' apartment like she usually does and she was wondering if it would be okay if the day after Christmas I could go stay with her for the rest of the break?"

Clint wanted to make it seem as innocent as possible. Maybe if he mentioned Natasha a lot, such as the fact that she really wanted him to stay with her, it would soften up his parents' decision.

"Just her?" Clint's father asked.

"Yes. Well, no. Her grandparents will be in Connecticut but her dad will be in the city since he works there," Clint said, shrugging. He tried to seem as calm, cool, and collect as possible.

"And for how long?" Clint's mother chimed in.

"We would come back the day after New Year's Day, so it would be the last day of Christmas break, the day before we go back to school," Clint explained.

"How are you going to get there?" Mrs. Barton asked, narrowing her eyes to slits.

Clint gulped. "Her grandparents have some chauffeurs. Natasha said they would be nice enough to send one out for me."

Mr. and Mrs. Barton turned to one another and communicated silently. The silence was deafening for Clint and he wanted an answer. They turned back to him and Clint stiffened, ready to receive the denial.

"You can go Clint," Mrs. Barton said, and before Clint could celebrate, she continued, "On one condition. That condition is that you remember our little talk we had."

_Of course_, Clint thought. _Sex. That was the first thing that popped into their minds._

"I promise," Clint said as he internally celebrated. "Natasha said she wanted to take me to tons of places in the city so there won't be any time for…_that_."

"Okay, good," Mr. Barton said, but Mrs. Barton wasn't finished.

"Be careful when you cross the road. Use the crosswalks," Mrs. Barton demanded.

"Yes Mom."

"Don't go down any strange alleyways."

"Yes Mom."

"And stick with Natasha. She's been there enough times so she knows her way around."

"_Okay Mom._"

"Honey," Mr. Barton chimed in. "I think he got the message."

* * *

Clint awoke with a start the day after Christmas. Today was the day he would be heading to New York City to spend practically a week with Natasha. They would be free to do whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want, without their parents telling them what to do. Clint got ready in a rush, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and hastily gathering his belongings to drag down the stairs.

Clint didn't have to wait long until the car that Natasha's grandparents had sent had arrived to pick him up. Eleven o'clock on the dot. Clint practically threw his bag into the trunk of the car – clearly in a rush to get going – but his mom obviously wanted to give him one final lecture on staying safe in the city. Clint reassured his mom that Natasha's grandparents lived on Fifth Avenue in the Upper East Side; there was no possible way they would run into trouble.

Before Clint knew it they were on their way. Clint knew that even if they didn't hit traffic going into the city, the car ride would still seem like an eternity. Clint hadn't seen Natasha since the last day of school before Christmas break and the absence was killing him. Sure they had talked on the phone every night since then, and Natasha had called him Christmas morning to wish him a Merry Christmas, but hearing her voice was never the same as seeing her.

Of course they hit traffic as soon as they entered the Lincoln Tunnel but when they finally emerged, Clint was mesmerized by the bustling metropolis. He had apparently been to the city when he was younger, but Clint didn't remember it one bit so seeing his surroundings was completely new to him.

Natasha's grandparents lived in the famed apartment building located at 834 Fifth Avenue, on the corner of East 64th Street and directly across from the Central Park Zoo. The building has been regarded as one of the most prestigious apartment houses in the city, which made Clint nervous to even set foot in it.

Clint was astounded when they pulled up to the curb in front of the apartment building. The Romanoff's driver politely opened the car door for him and grabbed his bag from the trunk of the car while Clint stared at the towering building. Clint realized how rude he was being and apologized, to which the driver replied, "It's quite alright Mr. Barton. It's my job."

The Romanoff apartment, which was apparently the penthouse, was located on the top floor and Clint and the Romanoff's chauffeur rode the private elevator to the top floor. Clint was excited to see Natasha, but nervous as well. It wasn't because he hadn't seen Natasha in a couple days; it was because he wasn't sure what to expect when the elevator doors opened.

When the doors slid open, all Clint saw was a wide foyer which led to an equally vast living room. From what he could tell, the furniture was modern and there were at least two hallways that forked off from the living room which most likely led to the bedrooms or the kitchen.

Clint was in awe as he stepped out of the elevator and stood in the middle of the foyer as the chauffeur carried his bag into the entrance of the living room and set it down on the perfectly polished hardwood floor.

"Miss Romanoff. Mr. Barton has arrived!" the chauffeur announced.

Clint could hear the sound of feet pounding on the hardwood floors, and before he knew it, Natasha was standing at the other end of the foyer, her curls wild from running down the hall. She ran towards him, closing the space between them, and jumped up and hugged him, wrapping her legs around him.

He hugged her as tight as he possibly could, making up for nearly three days worth of absence.

"Oh I missed you. I'm so glad you're here," she said, her voice muffled from being buried in his neck. They stood like that in the foyer for a couple minutes until the chauffeur cleared his throat. Natasha turned her head and flushed a deep shade of red.

"Oh sorry," Natasha said as Clint set her down on the floor. She walked over to a table up against the wall in the foyer and picked up a slip of paper and handed it to the chauffeur.

"This is from my grandparents," Natasha said as the chauffeur took the slip of paper and tucked it in his jacket. "And thank you so much for picking up Clint and bringing him here."

The chauffeur chuckled. "Anything for the sweetest out of all the Romanoffs." With that, he brushed past Natasha and Clint and got back onto the elevator. He offered up a brief wave as the elevator doors closed, leaving Natasha and Clint by themselves.

Natasha bent down to pick up Clint's bag then grabbed his hand and pulled him throughout the apartment. She pointed out the various rooms as they passed by them, and then led him into a room that blinded him with light. The curtains were pulled open to reveal the cityscape and it brightened up the room significantly. The room was done in all white, with a few gold accents. There was a giant plasma screen TV bolted to the wall above an electric fireplace to Clint's left, and a king-sized bed to Clint's right that was a mess of white blankets and pillows. There was also a white arm chair in the corner of the room with an ottoman to match, and the bedroom had its own private bathroom.

Natasha jumped up onto the bed and grabbed one of the pillows, resting her head on it. "And this is our room."

"_Our_ room?" Clint asked inquisitively.

"You didn't seriously think I'd let you sleep in another room than me, did you? If so, I'm hurt," she said, jutting out her lower lip into a pout.

Clint crossed the room and climbed onto the bed on top of Natasha, bracing his arms on both sides of her. He lowered himself down and brushed his lips against hers.

"I could get used to this," Clint breathed.

Natasha giggled, brushing her fingertips against his jaw line. "Get used to what?"

"Just you and me. It sucks that it's only for a week."

Natasha giggled again. "So," she said, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "Where should we go first?"

* * *

Clint really had no idea where to start when it came to New York City. There was so much to see in so little time. He had suggested Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, and 30 Rockefeller Center, but Natasha had other ideas. She wanted to avoid all the tourist traps, and show Clint the real New York City. She wanted to show him the small restaurants and cafés she had discovered over the years in her adventures. She wanted to take him to the most secluded spot in Central Park so it could be just them.

When they stepped out of the apartment building, Clint and Natasha started walking down Fifth Avenue, not an idea as to where they were going. Clint couldn't help but look like a tourist as he stared around him at the cityscape. He was in complete awe.

Natasha couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous he looked as he glanced around with his mouth hanging open. If he was this amused by Fifth Avenue, Natasha wasn't sure how he would be able to handle the rest of the city.

When they reached The Plaza, Natasha realized where she wanted to go. To hell with Clint if he didn't, but of all places she wanted to go, she wanted to go to Tiffany's. She didn't even need to set foot in the building. All she wanted to do – like she had done several times before all by her lonesome – is stand right where Audrey Hepburn had once did in _Breakfast at Tiffany's_.

Natasha told Clint where she wanted to go, and he told her to lead the way. He didn't care where they went to be completely honest, just as long as he was with her.

Before he knew it, they were standing in front of Tiffany's. It was a simple storefront with a granite door frame and stereotypical revolving door. Natasha was standing on her tip toes to look into one of the outside display cases.

"It's so pretty," Natasha said, practically touching her nose to the glass to look at the diamond necklace on display.

"Let's go inside," Clint suggested.

Natasha froze. "No, I can't go in there. I'll get distracted. You might not be able to get me to come out," she said.

Clint waved off her comment and grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. The interior of the store was bustling with shoppers. Natasha pulled Clint's hand, as if to tell him this was far enough into the store, but Clint led the way.

Though she liked that Clint was taking an interest in her fascination with Tiffany's, Natasha hoped he wouldn't ask her favorite things to look at. If she did, she was sure it would scare him. Natasha liked to look at the engagement rings. It wasn't something she had been looking at since she started dating Clint, it was something she always looked at. Ever since she was little, the engagement rings were her favorite things to look at because she hoped she would own one someday. Now that she had Clint, she was afraid that if she told him, he would get scared that she had _something else_ on her mind.

Clint dragged her throughout the store and they stopped at a display case and leaned over it to look at its contents. Natasha didn't want to get dragged in. It wasn't just the fabulous engagement rings that kept her attention; everything in the store that sparkled just captivated her.

"I'm going to make you a deal," Clint said.

Natasha turned to him in a trance and looked at him with a confused expression.

"I will buy you one thing from this store, if you promise to walk out of here without a problem."

"No, Clint," Natasha said firmly. "This store is just a fantasy for me, even though it's quite real. I don't need anything from here, and I don't need you spending a fortune on me."

"I promised you when you got that necklace from your mom's boss that I would buy you something from Tiffany's. I'm keeping that promise."

"There's no way you can afford even the cheapest thing in this store."

Clint pointed to the case of jewelry they were looking at. "That necklace right there is $125. That has got to be the cheapest thing in this store."

"It's still expensive Clint. I'm not going to have you shell out $125 for a necklace for me," Natasha protested.

Clint turned and put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes, his blue-grey eyes connecting with her green ones.

"You are worth much more than a $125 necklace to me, so the least you can do is let me buy you something."

Natasha sighed because she knew she couldn't fight that, so she turned back to the case and wandered along the side of it. Everything she glanced at she wanted, and she could buy it with her grandparents' credit card that they also left in her possession, but she knew Clint couldn't afford it all. She wasn't even sure how he would be able to afford the one thing he was going to buy her. Whatever that one thing may be.

It felt like they had been in the store for hours and Natasha was having no luck. She and Clint had somewhat drifted apart from one another at one point but never far away. Natasha was staring at a case of diamond necklaces that she knew Clint would never be able to afford in a million years when he appeared beside her.

"Since you're obviously making no effort, I found something," he said with that ridiculously stupid grin on his face that Natasha loved so much.

He led her across the room to another display case of sterling silver jewelry. A store attendant was pulling out one of the all-too-familiar blue boxes and slipping a blue pouch into the box.

"Did you already buy it?" Natasha asked.

Clint nodded, and Natasha watched as the store attendant wrapped the box up in the white bow and slipped it into a bag, handing it to Clint.

"Do I get to see it?" Natasha asked incredulously.

Clint chuckled. "Yeah, hang on."

They slipped out of the store and were hit with a gust of cold air as they walked out onto Fifth Avenue. The sky had become overcast in the amount of time they spent in the store and a couple snowflakes had begun to flutter to the ground. Natasha turned to face Clint and she waited for him to hand over the bag. For someone who didn't even want him to buy anything for her, she couldn't bear the anticipation of finding out what was in the little blue box.

"Well…" she coaxed.

Clint chuckled. "So impatient," he said reaching into the bag and pulling out the box. He handed it to her and told her to open it. She gently pulled at the white bow and slid off the lid. She tucked the box in her coat pocket and opened the blue pouch.

She wasn't quite sure what she was going to find but she definitely wasn't prepared to find this. She tipped the pouch upside down and a sterling silver ring fell into the palm of her hand. It was a simple sterling silver band with "I love you" scripture repeatedly circling around the ring. Before she could grab it, Clint did, holding it between his thumb and forefinger.

"I promise you it didn't cost a fortune, but I told you that you are worth so much more to me," he said. "You already know that I love you, but I want to make sure you know that even when I'm not around you. So when you're sitting in calculus class, or working, or sleeping in your own bed at night, you'll know that I'll always love you even when I'm not around you.

"And," he continued. "That I promise to always love you. I think, deep down, I always have."

"Is this a promise ring?" she asked with a shy smile.

"Yeah, I guess it is then," he said with a laugh. Natasha didn't want to wait any longer. She wanted it on her finger and she wanted it there now. Forget all of those Tiffany's engagement rings that Natasha had been so entranced with her entire life. This ring would suffice. No, it would do more than just suffice. It just went above and beyond any expectation she had for any ring she had ever wanted. It had meaning and that's all that mattered.

Natasha watched as Clint slipped it on her left ring finger – where Natasha felt it properly belonged – and then she reached up on her tip toes and kissed Clint. Snow had begun to fall, and Natasha's legs were cold despite the fact that she was wearing tights with her skirt, but she had Clint, and that's all that she needed to stay warm.

* * *

**Awww Clint! Isn't he such a sweetheart? Anyways, I've got a pretty busy week coming up. My second summer class is wrapping up this week so I have to write a paper (boooo!) on the relation between the President and Congress, and then I'm going to see Dave Matthews Band in Hershey on Friday (my first time seeing them live in 6 years; my fourth time seeing them live total). I'll try not to go more than two days without a new chapter. If I go more than 2 days, I grant you guys the right to bombard me with angry messages in my inbox haha.**

**As always, thank you for signing up for alerts, adding this to your favorites, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! I want to know if you guys are still alive after all of that romance overload haha.**


	20. Snowball Effect

**So, Natasha and Clint decide to have a snowball fight in this chapter and one thing may or may not lead to another. Find out for yourself. Here is chapter 20!**

* * *

When Natasha awoke the next morning, she was cuddled up next to Clint in the king-sized bed. She had all the room in the world in the bed, and she chose to sleep up against Clint. His arm was wrapped around her as usual and her head was resting on his shoulder with her right arm stretched across his chest. Natasha smiled to herself. She could get used to this too, just the two of them waking up next to each other every morning.

She rolled over as gently as possible so as not to wake up Clint and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. When she her feet touched the cold hardwood floor, she quickly and quietly padded over to the chair in the corner to pick up Clint's sweatshirt and put it on. The electric fireplace was still burning from last night since they didn't turn it off when they went to sleep, but the heat wasn't quite keeping the vast room warm enough. Suddenly she regretted getting out of the warm and comfy bed.

The TV was also still on from last night, playing the main menu from the _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ DVD. By the time they had returned from Tiffany's last night, the snow was coming down in large flakes, the temperature had dropped significantly, and the wind had picked up. When they walked through the front doors to the apartment building, they shook the snow from their hair and loaded into the private elevator to the penthouse.

They entered the penthouse and realized how cold and exhausted they were. They skipped eating dinner and immediately changed their clothes to climb into bed with each other. Before that, Natasha had grabbed a couple of her grandparents' DVDs from her grandfather's office and brought them into the room. Most of the movies her grandparents owned were classics, such as _Casablanca_ and _Gone with the Wind_. Natasha's favorite was _Breakfast at Tiffany's_, and Clint told her to pop the movie into the DVD player so he could maybe finally understand her strange fascination with Tiffany's. However, Clint and Natasha never finished watching the movie because they fell asleep about halfway through.

Natasha tip toed across the room and slipped out the door, quietly closing it behind her, and she padded down the hall to the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and went straight to the fridge to grab the bottle of orange juice. When she went to open the door, her hand lingered on the handle as she noticed the note addressed to her hanging on the fridge. She pulled it off of the fridge and ripped it open, instantly recognizing her dad's untidy scrawl.

_Natasha_, it read. _Your grandparents wanted you to know that they have left money for you for the remainder of your stay. I left it on your grandfather's desk in his office this morning. I will be spending most of my time at OSCORP preparing for the financial New Year. Mr. Osborn has graciously offered to let me stay at the OSCORP apartments next door to the company so I won't be home very often during your stay. If you need anything, call me, or you can stop by OSCORP or the apartments. Mr. Osborn said he wouldn't mind. You and Clint should behave yourselves and keep the penthouse in order. And don't spend all that money at once. Use it wisely. Love, Dad._

_P.S._, the note continued. _Mr. Osborn's son, Harry, and his friend Peter are having a New Year's Eve party in Times Square. Harry has been nice enough to extend the invite to you and Clint. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but at least consider it. He's a nice boy, and it would give you and Clint something to do besides sit at home that night._

Natasha set the note on the counter behind her and proceeded to open the fridge and pulled out the bottle of orange juice. She heard footsteps coming down the hall as she started to pour herself a glass and Clint appeared a couple seconds later, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey," he said, yawning.

"Hi," she said. "You want some?" She shook the bottle of orange juice and he nodded. She grabbed another glass from the cabinet and poured him something to drink. She returned the bottle to the fridge and then grabbed the two glasses, handing one to Clint. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and then took a swig from his glass. When he swallowed his drink, he looked at Natasha and gave her a confused look.

"Is that my sweatshirt?" Clint asked and Natasha nodded.

"It's a shame. It looks better on you than it does on me," he said, and she playfully smacked him on the arm. He set his glass down and leaned against the counter.

"So Miss Tour Guide, what are we doing today?"

Natasha shrugged. "Not sure if there's much we can do what with the snow and all," she said, nodding her head towards the window. Clint turned and looked. Sure enough, fluffy snowflakes were dancing past the window, floating down to the ground. He could see Central Park was coated with a white layer of fluff and so was the entire city.

He turned back to Natasha. "We could have a snowball fight in the park."

"We haven't had snowball fights since we were kids, and that's because you would cheat," she teased.

"I did not cheat. You were just a sore loser," he shot back teasingly.

"_Fine_," she said. "You're on. A snowball fight in Central Park."

With that, she padded off back down the hall to gear up for battle.

* * *

When the private elevator to the penthouse reached the main floor and opened its doors, residents of 834 Fifth Avenue probably thought Clint and Natasha were crazy. They were suited up in the puffiest of jackets and the fluffiest of scarves. Natasha was wearing a pair of tights underneath her jeans, which were tucked into her boots. Clint had on his sweatshirt – which he had to fight Natasha to get back – underneath his light jacket.

They stomped out of the building and rushed across the street to Central Park. They raced up Fifth Avenue to find the perfect spot that Natasha had mentioned for a snowball fight. They were going to take over Bethesda Fountain and Bow Bridge. The bridge would be Natasha's base while the fountain would be Clint's.

When they reached their destination, they parted ways to begin strategizing. Neither one of them were supposed to go past the confines of the battle zone between The Lake and Terrace Drive. When the clock struck 2:00, the battle began. The amount of space that they had mapped out to be the battle zone was quite big for just a small chunk of the park so they had to be on high alert for any rogue snowballs.

It didn't take long for Natasha to find Clint, and when she did, she chucked a snowball right in his direction. When the snowball broke apart as it hit Clint's shoulder, he chucked one right back at her.

Madness ensued. Snowball after snowball was tossed through the air. Some broke apart before they even reached their target, but most of the projectiles disintegrated when they collided with something else. At one point, Natasha jumped out from behind the giant boulder she was using as a shield and jumped on Clint's back and shoved a snowball right in his face.

"And you say _I'm_ the cheater!" Clint said. Natasha giggled and he quickly swung her around and laid her down on top of a huge pile of snow. He knelt down next to her and lowered himself down, his lips just barely touching hers.

"Are you going to surrender?" he asked. She could feel his breath on hers and his blue-grey eyes were staring into her green ones.

"N-no," she stammered.

"Your plan is weak and flawed. You should probably just give in," he said. His lips were still just barely touching hers and it was killing her. Just a little closer and they could kiss. But he was torturing her. He wanted her to surrender so she could get a reward.

"No," she said firmly this time.

He pushed himself off of the ground but Natasha quickly flipped him onto his back and climbed on top of him.

"Now it's time for me to torture you," she said with a sly smile. She leaned down but tilted her head so her lips were right by his ear.

"Surrender," she whispered. The action made Clint jump and sent his heart racing. When she turned her head to face him again, he had a hard time focusing. She was staring him down and saying absolutely nothing. She knew that he loved her green eyes, so she was using them to her advantage right now.

"Okay, I-I'm done," he stuttered.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" she asked teasingly.

"I surrender."

"Ha!" she yelled and she got up and starting jumping around in celebration. Clint pushed himself up in a sitting position and laughed at how ridiculous she looked dancing around in the middle of Central Park.

"Okay, you've rubbed it in enough. You win," Clint said with a laugh.

Natasha stopped her celebration and walked over to Clint and offered him her hand to help him off of the ground. She pulled him up and then wrapped her arms around him.

"Okay sorry," she whined. "It's a tie then."

Clint chuckled. "No, it's okay. I surrendered. You won."

Natasha pulled away and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay suit yourself," she said.

"Okay, so what else are we going to do today?" Clint asked.

"I'm a little exhausted," Natasha said, "And really disgustingly sweaty."

"We can go back to the apartment. It's fine with me," Clint said. Natasha nodded and slipped her hand into his as they made their way out of Central Park and back down Fifth Avenue. The snow had stopped coming down in the large flakes but it was still coming down.

When they stepped back into the lobby of 834 Fifth Avenue, residents and staff of the building looked at them as if they needed to be committed to a psych ward. Clint and Natasha didn't care and they loaded into the private elevator and stood in silence as it shot upwards to the top of the building.

The elevator door slid open and Natasha and Clint stepped into the foyer. They pulled off their shoes and then proceeded to shed the rest of their outer layers. Their jackets, gloves, and scarves were soaked from the melted snow and it made a mess on the hardwood floor. Natasha gathered up all of their clothes and walked down the hall to toss them into the dryer.

When she returned, Clint wasn't sure why he found her to be so incredibly adorable. Strands of her hair were matted to the sides of her face and it was sticking up in all different places. Her jeans were soaked from when he had her lying in the snow and her cheeks were flushed from the cold.

"What?" she asked when she caught him looking at her for too long.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head and looking away.

"Okay," she said with an I-don't-buy-that-excuse look on her face. "I'm going to get changed out of these clothes."

She walked down the hallway and started banging around in the room to find a change of clothes. Clint strode into the living room and sat down on one of the couches. He listened as she continued to bang around in the room, searching for various items of clothing, until she finally ceased the noise.

Moments later, he heard her soft footsteps on the hardwood floor behind him and he turned around. She was dressed in a pair of dark blue sleep shorts and a black camisole that hugged her curves. She was also wearing a grey sweatshirt to keep her warm.

Natasha walked around and sat down on the couch next to Clint. She leaned into him, and instinctively he wrapped his arm around her.

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" she mumbled against his chest.

"I don't know. You tell me," Clint said.

Natasha shrugged, and then leaned forward to grab the remote off of the coffee table and turned on the TV.

"Well, my grandparents have every premium cable channel on the face of the planet. Showtime, HBO, you name it and they probably have it. All we have to do is pick a movie to watch. The problem is, with so many movies to choose from, how do you choose?" she joked.

Clint laughed and took the remote from her hand.

"I'll take care of this," he said, scrolling through the channel listings. He picked a romantic comedy on HBO; Natasha was about to protest until she saw Ryan Gosling come on the screen and then she was perfectly fine with it.

Natasha couldn't help but absentmindedly twirl Clint's promise ring around her finger as they watched the movie. Not only could she tell this was going to become a habit, but she was still getting used to the fact that it was there.

Clint noticed the strange habit she was developing and he reached his hand up to hers, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Is the ring bugging you?" he asked.

"No, no," she said quickly, defensively. "I'm just trying to get used to it being there. I'm sure I'll stop doing it after a week or two."

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers, his lips lingering on the ring finger. She looked up at him and their eyes locked. Natasha reached up and ran her fingers along his jaw line before Clint leaned down and they locked lips.

The kiss became more aggressive and Natasha pushed Clint onto his back on the couch, and she climbed on top of him. They barely broke from the kiss, not even when Natasha shed her sweatshirt and tossed it on the floor.

It became more heated when Clint sat up and Natasha helped him pull his t-shirt off. She tossed it on the floor aggressively and continued to kiss Clint as he fell back against the couch. She could feel him running his hands up her legs, and at that moment she was thankful that she had shaved the day before. His hands continued to travel up her legs and rested on her waist before continuing up her shirt.

It was almost like that one day back in the summer after the accident. Only now they had taken it one step further with both of them half dressed on the couch. The skin on skin contact was magnificent and Natasha could feel Clint's hands making their way down her back. But, somehow, she was pulled back to reality and she quickly broke away from the kiss with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

"What? What's wrong? What did I do wrong?" Clint asked concerned, sitting up on the couch.

Natasha removed her hands from her mouth. "No, you did everything right," she breathed. "It's my fault."

Clint saw the disappointment in her eyes, but it wasn't disappointment in Clint. It was disappointment in herself.

"No, no, no, it's fine. It's fine," he reassured her, rubbing her arms. "So, you're still not ready. That's fine."

"But what if I'll never _be_ ready?" she muttered almost inaudibly.

"I don't think this is something you can be ready for," Clint said, trying to ease the tension and her nervousness.

"I feel like every single time we break apart from this, it's my fault. I'm the one who's not ready. I'm the one who's nervous. I'm the one who's scared," she said, her voice cracking a bit.

Clint had no idea how to respond to that. First and foremost, he would never blame her for stopping what could have been. He always thought he was putting too much pressure on her in the first place anyways. Nervousness and being scared worked hand in hand, and he wasn't sure how to relieve it for her. He could tell her a million times that he would make it safe for her, that he'll stop if it hurt or if it seemed like he was hurting her, but no matter what, she probably would still admit to being scared to prevent it.

"I'm going to bed," she mumbled as she climbed off of him but he grabbed her by the hand to stop her.

"Not without me you're not," he stated. "I still love you, you know. You can push this back as much as you want, but it won't change how much I love you."

She cracked a small smile; he knew that would make her feel better. She sat back down on the couch and bent down to grab her sweatshirt from the floor. Clint reached onto the floor to grab his t-shirt and slip it back on when Natasha stopped him.

"Umm, no. You're sleeping without a shirt tonight," she demanded. Clint chuckled and then leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. When she didn't turn her head to face him, he kissed her on the cheek again, and then the neck, then the shoulder. He continued to taunt her until she turned to him and he finally kissed her on the lips.

"I'm not mad at you. I promise. I don't understand how you could think I would be," Clint said.

Natasha shrugged. "I feel like such a tease."

"You are," Clint joked. "But that just makes our relationship all the more interesting."

She playfully shoved him and then got up from the couch and headed down the hall. Clint got up and followed her. When reached the bedroom, he tossed his shirt on top of his bag and then grabbed a pair of shorts to change into. He went into the bathroom and changed, and when he emerged, Natasha was already burrowed under the heavy blankets. He climbed in and she automatically rolled over and nestled into her usual position.

"I'm really, really sorry," she mumbled once more.

Clint decided he wasn't going to say anything this time. As a response, he just wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He didn't care how long it took her. He didn't even care if it never happened. He just wished that they could stay like this forever, lying together in bed with her in his arms. He knew that after this week, it would be awhile until it could happen again so he held her as tight as he could and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Oh I'm such a tease! haha, I promise this will happen. I'm just still debating as to WHEN I want it to happen. I'm torn between two separate parts in this story. Both of them will be romantic though haha.**

**As always, thank you for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. So click that blue button below please and tell me what you thought of this chapter!**


	21. New Year's Eve

**Alright guys, I think this might be the last chapter Clint and Natasha spend in New York City. Not sure yet. I might mention it in like half of the next chapter but that might be it then. Anyways, here's chapter 21!**

* * *

There wasn't much talk about sex following that night on the couch. Every morning they would wake up next to each other, and Natasha would look up and smile at Clint while he would kiss the top of her head. Then, they would roll out of bed and make their way to the kitchen to eat something for breakfast.

They spent their days sightseeing to keep themselves occupied. Natasha had dragged him all the way up Fifth Avenue to the Met one day just so they could sit on the steps. Another day, they took a trip down to Rockefeller Center to see Radio City Music Hall and the GE Building, which was home to the famed _Saturday Night Live_.

Every day, it seemed like they brought some sort of junk food back to the apartment with them. Their trip to Rockefeller Center meant that they brought back cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. When they visited Washington Square Park in The Village, they brought back various sweets from Veniero's, a bakery located in the neighborhood.

Each night they would pick a movie from one of the various premium cable channels and watch it until Natasha fell asleep on the couch in Clint's arms. He would then carry her to the bedroom and gently lay her down on the king-sized bed and then crawl in right next to her.

When they woke up on New Year's Eve morning, Natasha realized she had forgotten to mention the party that her father's boss' son was throwing later that night. The week had been eventful, in more ways than one, and she had forgotten to mention the fiesta to Clint.

She wasn't sure he would be up for it. This entire week was supposed to be all about them. Sure she had been ruining every intimate moment because she was scared of what might become of it but they were spending every moment together. Going to this party in Times Square could possibly ruin it.

As they sat at the table in the kitchen that morning – Natasha eating a bowl of cereal and Clint drinking a cup of coffee – she wondered if she should tell him. Part of her wanted to go to the party because hey, why not? The other part of her just wanted to stay in and ring in the New Year with Clint and only Clint.

"So, umm," Natasha said with a mouthful of cereal. "My dad said that his boss' son invited us to his New Year's Eve party tonight in Times Square."

"Times Square?" he asked eagerly. "We haven't been to Times Square yet!"

Natasha couldn't hide the smile that was spreading across her face. "You're such a tourist."

"Well, we should go!" Clint said.

"W-what? We should?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, why not? We got invited to a party where there will probably be free food and booze."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Since when are you such a drunk?"

"If this guy is the son of the owner of OSCORP, he's bound to have alcohol at this party. And we're in New York City. All of the over privileged rich kids get away with everything here so I'm sure we could too."

Natasha stared at him in disbelief.

"Seriously, let's go," he said.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, seriously."

Natasha looked at him again as if he were crazy. Then she wondered if maybe he was just looking for some excitement since they haven't really done anything remotely interesting. With the exception of their heated make out session on the living room couch a few nights ago, their entire stay in the city had been uneventful. She wondered if he was just looking for something exciting to do since she obviously wasn't making his stay that much fun.

"You're not having fun. That's the problem isn't it? I'm ruining this whole trip - ," Natasha rambled but Clint cut her off.

"Nat, would you stop?" Clint said. "Now, you're going to get ready for this party later. And you're going to put on a really pretty dress that's going to make my heart stop and I'm going to root through my bag and try to find a shirt that isn't a t-shirt."

Natasha giggled and then had a sudden realization. "Wait, you still don't have any dress shirts?"

Clint shook his head no and Natasha smiled. "This gives us an excuse to go to Saks!" she squealed, and then jumped up and ran to the bedroom to get ready for another trip down Fifth Avenue.

* * *

Clint didn't need a designer shirt to go to a party, but he knew Natasha really wanted to go just so she could find something to wear for herself. The money her grandparents had left her was slowly decreasing but she still had enough money that could feed an entire family for almost a year.

When they stepped into the vast store, Natasha made her way to the back so they could ride the escalator to the next floor where the clothing was located. Natasha didn't know the first thing about shopping for a guy and she was sure Clint could really care less as to what shirt he wore tonight, but they were going to try their hardest to find something for him to wear.

Every shirt Clint touched felt expensive. Even the price tags seemed to be super fancy. Natasha constantly picked up shirts and showed them off to Clint, to which he would answer with a nonchalant "Sure."

Eventually, Natasha decided on a simple dark blue button down shirt. It was designer, and it was still a costly price, but it was no Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. She chucked the shirt at him then pulled him towards the section for women. He was right; she just wanted to come here to shop for an outfit for herself. Clint didn't care, but he found it to be funny that he was right.

Clint watched as she ran her hands over the various fabrics hanging on the racks. She searched through dresses that she liked to find her size and examine them further. She grabbed armfuls of different colors and fabrics of clothing and made her way to the fitting rooms; Clint stationed himself outside and waited for Natasha to finish.

Every single time she tried on a dress, she insisted on walking outside of the dressing room and asking Clint his opinion. Clint thought every dress she tried on looked fantastic on her. No matter what she put on, he'd still find her to be the most beautiful person on the face of the planet.

She still had one more dress to try on, and Clint was starting to get antsy. He started pacing outside of the dressing room just for something to do. He didn't notice when she stepped out of the room but when he did notice, his breath was taken away. She was outrageously adorable in a burgundy dress that hit just above her knees. There was a lace overlay on the dress and continued up over the chest for a sheer lace neckline. The skirt of the dress was full and when she turned it fanned out. He also noticed that the dress was backless and it made him love it even more.

"Wow," was all he managed to say.

"So, you actually like this one?" she asked.

"I liked the others," he said.

"Liar," she said. "This one's my favorite anyways. I think I'm going with this one."

"Great, let's go," he said impatiently.

"Nope, I still need accessories," she trilled as she walked back into the dressing room, unzipping the back of her dress as she rounded the corner. Clint let out a sigh and slumped against the wall. He knew for sure that he'd be stuck in this store for another hour.

* * *

It was several hours later when Clint and Natasha had piled into the back of cab and gave the driver their destination. Given the madness in Times Square on New Year's Eve, the cab driver couldn't get them to the exact address but would be able to drop them off a couple blocks away. Natasha and Clint said that would be fine and relaxed for the ride down Fifth Avenue.

Along with the hour Natasha had spent in Saks Fifth Avenue searching for shoes and accessories to go with her dress, she also spent an additional hour getting ready for the party. When she was finally ready, the party had already started and Clint was starting to get impatient.

When she walked out into the living room, she looked flawless. Her hair was curled to perfection. There was a trace of mascara and eyeliner, but other than that, she was makeup free. She was wearing a pair of black tights which would keep her legs warm on this chilly New Year's Eve night and the heels she bought almost brought her to eyelevel with Clint.

The cab driver dropped them off about four blocks away from Times Square, and Natasha handed the driver the cash and wished him a Happy New Year. The penthouse apartment that Mr. Osborn's son Harry would be hosting his party at was located directly across from where the ball dropped. Since the penthouse was located at the tip top of the building, they would get a perfect view of the ceremony come midnight.

They walked the four blocks to Times Square and turned onto one of the side streets to enter the building. They approached the front desk and informed the man that they had arrived for Harry Osborn's party. The man grabbed the phone and called Harry Osborn to inquire that Natasha and Clint were, in fact, guests invited to his party.

When the man hung up the phone, he flashed Clint and Natasha a smile and directed them towards the private elevator to the penthouse. He informed them that Harry Osborn would be greeting them once they arrived and told them to have a good time. The elevator shot up, and Clint and Natasha rode in silence.

The elevator doors slid open and a young, handsome boy greeted them and introduced himself as Harry Osborn, Norman Osborn's son. Clint and Natasha shook his hand and introduced themselves as well, and then Harry guided them to the bar to get them something to drink.

"Told you there would be alcohol here," Clint whispered in Natasha's ear as they followed Harry to the bar. Natasha giggled and then playfully smacked him in the arm. They reached the bar and Harry introduced them to his best friend Peter Parker. Peter was apparently playing bartender since he was stationed behind the bar. It was strange that a handsome young man such as Harry was friends with someone so nerdy like Peter, but Clint and Natasha assumed that – just like them – they had been friends since childhood.

Peter rattled off the names of a couple drinks so Clint and Natasha could choose a drink; Clint asked for a shot of Jack Daniels while Natasha asked for a glass of vodka. Peter quickly prepared their drinks, along with two for him and Harry, and slid them across the bar to them. Neither Clint nor Natasha had drunk before, so when they felt the alcohol go down their throats, it burned like fire. However, they were both sure that once they got a couple more in their systems, the sensation wouldn't even faze them.

Despite all of his guests, Harry stuck to the bar with Peter, Clint, and Natasha, and struck up a conversation with them. Clint and Natasha found both Peter and Harry to be interesting, and vice versa. Clint and Natasha wanted to know what it was like to always live in the city and Peter and Harry wanted to know what it was like to live out in East Jesus Nowhere.

Over the course of the night, the group of four drank various mixtures of alcohol and conversed on what their lives were like. It was almost as if they were friends catching up after many, many years apart.

Clint and Natasha learned that Harry and Peter were juniors in high school just like Natasha, which made Clint feel like the odd one out. Based on the party that Harry was throwing, they had assumed he was at least a sophomore in college, but Harry was actually very mature for his age, which is why it threw off Clint and Natasha.

The conversation took a turn for the worse – at least in Natasha's eyes – when they began talking about college. The topic had been a sore subject for Natasha when Clint had started applying to schools. Many of the schools he had chosen to apply to, including Penn State and Temple University, were a bearable distance, but some of them, such as Boston University, had scared her. Boston was incredibly far away, which would mean that the opportunity for Natasha to visit Clint and for Clint to come home often was very slim.

"Well Clint, you're a senior. Can you give any advice to us juniors on applying to colleges?" Peter asked as he swirled his drink around in his glass.

"Umm," Clint mumbled. "Don't wait 'til the last minute. I probably jeopardized my chances of getting into Penn State's main campus because I waited too long. I'll probably end up at a satellite campus or something."

"Penn State," Harry nodded in approval. "Anywhere else interesting?"

Clint started to rattle off the various schools he had applied to: Temple, Penn State, Boston, Montclair State University, West Chester University, University of Pittsburgh (just because Barney went there), Drexel University, and Syracuse University. Harry and Peter both nodded in approval.

"Some pretty competitive schools," Harry said. "You'll probably get into all of them though."

"What about you Natasha?" Peter said, turning to Natasha. "Have you given college any thought yet?"

Natasha shook her head no and then downed the rest of her drink. She felt the vodka sting her throat as it slid down, but she brushed it off.

"Haven't really thought about it. I guess I should though," she said.

"You should really look into the scholarships OSCORP offers," Harry suggested and Peter nodded.

"Unlike Von Doom Industries," Harry sneered in disgusted. "OSCORP has a scholarship program in which they offer gigantic scholarships to children of OSCORP employees. I bet you could win a whole bunch of money. From what I hear, you're quite smart."

Natasha was silent and when she didn't reply, Clint answered as if he were a proud parent. He mentioned all of the classes she had been taking and the full schedule she constantly tackled every day since seventh grade. Despite all of her graduation requirements being fulfilled this year, Natasha was still planning on a full course load for her senior year. With a full course load, Natasha still managed to upkeep an extremely high GPA. Clint also mentioned that she was involved with Student Ambassadors in the past and that she was recently crowned MVP of their school's very first Powderpuff football game.

"Wow," Peter said in surprise. "She makes me seem like a dumbass."

"She's too smart for me," Clint praised.

"With a high school transcript like that, you could probably get into an Ivy League school," Harry said.

Natasha shrugged. "I guess so. We'll see," she mumbled.

Clint knew something was wrong. She had been upbeat and lively when they started the conversation, but now she was tense and quiet. He knew it had nothing to do with all of the alcohol that was currently in her system. She'd had quite a lot to drink but was perfectly coherent and alert. Once the conversation had changed to college, her attitude had changed.

Clint knew exactly what the problem was. They had never really talked about college so when it came time for him to apply, he did it without consulting her. It was mostly due to the pressure he was receiving from his parents. They had threatened to kick him out of the house if he didn't go to college and also pointed out that if Barney could do it, so could he.

Natasha stumbled off of her chair, grabbed her coat, and announced that she was going outside for some fresh air. Clint watched as she stumbled across the room and slipped through the glass door to the balcony. Clint excused himself from the bar and made his way over to the glass door that led to the balcony.

When Clint slipped through the door, Natasha was resting her elbows on the edge with her chin in her hands. She was staring off into the distance, most likely not looking at anything in particular. She didn't acknowledge Clint's presence when he stood next to her and leaned against the balcony.

Clint didn't say anything at first. He was hoping she would say something first so he didn't have to accuse her of anything. After a couple minutes, they were still standing in complete silence, the sound of New Year's Eve partygoers below drifting upwards.

"Are you going to tell me why you're so bothered by our little conversation in there?" Clint asked.

Natasha shrugged. "We never really talked about it so I didn't want to talk about it with people we just met."

"Hey," he said, nudging her shoulder with his. "Wherever I go in the fall, I promise I'll try my hardest to see you every weekend. You can't seriously think I'd go a month or two without seeing you. A week is going to be tough enough."

Natasha let out a weak laugh and turned her head to face Clint. "You promise?"

Clint reached over and grabbed her left hand, the one with the promise ring on it, and kissed her ring finger. "I didn't give you this ring for nothing did I?" he asked, and Natasha let out a giggle.

From behind them they heard the glass door open and the sounds from the party flooded out onto the balcony. Clint and Natasha turned around to see Harry poking his head out of the door.

"Hey, you guys all good?" he asked, and they nodded in response.

"Okay, are you going to come back inside? It's like two minutes 'til midnight."

"Yeah, we'll be right there," Clint reassured him, and they watched as he shut the door and rejoined his guests.

"Let's not go back inside," Natasha suggested once Clint turned back to face her.

"What? Why?" Clint asked in confusion.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Honestly, have you never watched the ball drop at midnight? When it does, glitter practically rains down on Times Square."

"So?" Clint asked, still in the dark as to what she was trying to get at.

"Glitter raining down. Doesn't it remind you of something?" she asked with a sly grin.

That's when it hit him. The first time he had kissed her at the masquerade ball, glitter confetti had been tossed down to the dancers. It was like something straight out of a movie, and now Natasha wanted to recreate it.

Clint heard the partygoers inside start to countdown from thirty. Natasha grabbed part of Clint's coat and pulled him closer with that sly smile still on her face. He looked into her green eyes and rested his hands on her waist.

_Ten_. He brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

_Nine_. Her hands snaked around to his back.

_Eight_. He leaned in closer.

_Seven_. She stood on her tip toes so their lips would be leveled with one another.

_Six_. A gust of wind made Natasha shiver and Clint pulled her closer.

_Five_. Natasha pushed her hair out of her face and focused back on Clint.

_Four_. A little closer.

_Three_. Natasha smiled as his lips got closer to hers.

_Two_. She could feel his breath on hers.

_One_. Just a little closer now.

_Happy New Year!_ They locked lips as they heard madness erupt from inside the penthouse and from below. They continued to kiss until they noticed the glitter raining down on them. They weren't quite sure where it was coming from and they didn't care. Clint smiled and Natasha giggled, and then they focused back on each other and Clint kissed her once more. This time it was longer and more passionate. It was just the way they wanted to start out the New Year.

* * *

**I'm not really good at describing dresses so if you would like, you can look up Natasha's dress on Saks Fifth Avenue's website. It's by Alice + Olivia. It's the Ophelia Lace Dress. I'll even give you the product number haha (0489185714511). It's a really cute dress. I'm in love with it haha.**

**And so we've met Harry Osborn and Peter Parker (New Goblin and Spider-Man respectively in the comic book world). This may or may not be the last time I include them in this story. I haven't decided yet. Let me know if you'd like them to be included again.**

**As always, thank you for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. So, review away! Let me know what you thought of Clint and Natasha's New Year's Eve shenanigans!**


	22. The Banquet

**Alright, so last chapter was the last chapter in New York City but we've got quite an interesting chapter here. I really hope you guys like this one. So, here is chapter 22!**

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Natasha and Clint didn't want to face going back home. After their adventures in the city, boring country and suburban life just wasn't going to cut it. School would be a drag. Their surroundings would be too boring and quiet. But most importantly, they didn't want to have to face waking up alone every morning. Though they still hadn't managed to face the intimacy issue, they still enjoyed waking up next to one another each morning, and they just weren't ready to let it go. Unfortunately, they had to, and the day after New Year's Day, they loaded their belongings into a town car Natasha's grandparents had offered to take them back home and they were whisked away to reality.

The first week back at school was always hard for any high school student, but it was always fun as well because there was the reconnection with friends. Steve and Peggy had informed Natasha and Clint that they were finally dating; Steve had officially asked her on New Year's Eve. Peggy was angry that he had waited so long, as well as the fact that he'd be leaving for college in the fall, but she decided to accept his offer and enjoy it while they could.

Thor and Jane had a slightly different story to tell about their vacation shenanigans, but long story short, they finally managed to sleep together. When Natasha heard this news, she felt like her and Clint were the odd ones out. Peggy and Steve were finally dating and Thor and Jane's relationship was now on another level. Natasha and Clint were just the same. Nothing had changed.

As the students began to get back into the swing of things, announcements about prom began. At the end of February, tickets for the most anticipated event of the year – besides graduation – would be on sale during all lunch periods. Natasha wasn't particularly fond of the idea of prom, just like she wasn't very fond of any other dance she had attended in the past. Clint was the only person who had made them bearable, which made her wonder if he was going to ask her to go with him bluntly or if he was going to make a huge scene.

Clint was obviously known for putting on a show for major events, such as her sixteenth birthday, but he had never asked her in a special way in the past to go to a dance with him. He had just simply asked her to go with him, so she couldn't help but wonder how he was going to ask her. _If_ he was going to ask her.

She wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to go. It would be _his_ prom, not hers. If he didn't want to go, that was his prerogative but deep down, she just wanted him to ask her. She would say yes in a heartbeat.

The end of February came and tickets for prom went on sale. Almost immediately, all of the senior guys had started pulling out all the stops to ask girlfriends, friends, and underclassmen to the big dance. Steve asked Peggy by writing on her car with car paint; it was a nice surprise for her when she got to her car one day after school.

Thor was a little more drastic with his prom proposal to Jane. He had tricked her into going with him to the stadium because he claimed he left something in the locker room. When they walked into the stadium, the field was covered in flowers, but Thor took Jane to the top of the bleachers to show her that they were in fact roses that spelled out "Prom?"

By the second week of March, Clint still hadn't asked Natasha. Steve and Thor never brought up the subject of prom when they were around Clint, but Peggy and Jane knew that the fact that Clint hadn't asked Natasha to prom was bugging her.

"Just ask him why he hasn't asked yet," Jane said one day while they were doing their calculus homework during study hall.

"I don't want to ask him," Natasha mumbled. "If he doesn't want to go, he doesn't want to go. I just wish he would mention it though."

"He has to be going. Steve and Thor wouldn't let him stay home. I bet he's probably planning something big for you," Peggy said.

Natasha rolled her eyes and turned back to her calculus work. Peggy was right. This was Clint they were talking about. Whatever he was planning, he was trying to be as aloof about it as possible so he didn't spoil the surprise. Natasha just wished he would _mention_ that he was interested in going to prom.

Natasha had picked up an extra shift at Sweet Creams that day after school, so she wouldn't be riding home with Clint. That meant that she didn't expect to see him whatsoever, but right as her shift was starting, she walked out into the dining area and saw Clint sitting at one of the tables in her section. She continued tying her apron on and then walked over to the table to sit with Clint.

"Hey," she said sliding into the booth with him. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and smiled at her.

"Hey," he said. "So, I figured I should come before you got busy. I've got to ask you something important."

_Is he seriously just going to flat out ask me?_ She thought.

"O-okay," she said.

"The Senior Football Banquet is next Friday and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me," he said.

Natasha felt disappointment wash over her. Now she was getting annoyed. He wanted to ask her to the Senior Football Banquet but not to prom? However, she kept her composure and smiled at him.

"Yeah, sure. I just have to take off of work," she said.

"Great!" Clint exclaimed a little too excitedly. "I've got to go my mom's expecting me home."

Natasha slid out of the booth and Clint followed. He gave her another quick kiss on the lips and then he was gone, leaving Natasha alone in the middle of the restaurant to deal with her misery.

* * *

It was the night of the football banquet and Natasha was sitting on her living room couch waiting for Clint to pick her up. Natasha wasn't quite in the mood to go to the banquet seeing as she was still secretly angry at Clint for putting off asking her to prom. Still, she curled her hair to perfection, slapped on some mascara and eyeliner, and put on her black dress with a floral bodice and pleated skirt. Now she was just playing the waiting game.

She saw a pair of headlights pull into her driveway and she quickly grabbed her coat and bag and slipped on her shoes. She checked to make sure that she had her house keys and slipped out the front door to join Clint.

Clint was halfway to the front door when she stepped outside in a pair of sky high heels that elongated her legs and a black dress that made her look too cute for him to deal with.

"Hey," he said as she buttoned up her coat. "Are you in some sort of rush or something?"

"Nope, just ready to go," she said. _And ready to get this night over with_, she thought to herself.

Clint offered her his hand to help her down the porch steps and guided her to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for her and she slid in; Clint sat down in the driver's side moments later. Following the accident last summer, the insurance company had given the Barton family a hefty amount of money to pay for the damages to the car and then some. With that extra money, they had managed to have enough to buy another car. Barney got his car fixed, while Clint got his own. It was a used silver Volkswagen Jetta, but it got him from one place to another so Clint didn't care what model it was or the fact that it was used.

Clint tried to make conversation with Natasha on the ride to the high school but she was not cooperating. She replied with one word answers or "Mmmm" or "Hmmm." By the time they arrived at the high school, they were sitting in complete silence.

They made their way into the school's cafeteria and found their table. Clint's parents had already arrived and were conversing with Thor and Steve's parents, also seated at their table. Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane were across the room talking to Coach Ross and Assistant Coach Coulson. Clint and Natasha took a seat at the table and waited in silence for the ceremony to begin.

Within minutes, Coach Ross, along with Assistant Coach Coulson and Principal Fury, took the stage to thank everyone for attending the banquet and announced the agenda for the evening. Once they had made their announcements, dinner was brought out for the guests and they began to dine on roasted chicken and rice. Mr. and Mrs. Barton continued to converse with Thor and Steve's parents while Thor, Steve, and Clint joked around.

"Did he ask you yet?" Peggy whispered into Natasha's ear. Natasha shook her head no without taking her eyes off of her plate. This was the last thing she wanted to talk about and she didn't want Peggy and Jane to mention how disappointed she was around Clint.

The banquet guests finished their dinner and patiently awaited the reappearance of Coach Ross on stage. The whole point of the banquet was to award senior football players with special awards and scholarships – some related to football and some related to academics. When Coach Ross stepped back on stage, an eerie silence fell over the banquet guests

Coach Ross started out a speech about how proud he was of all of his football players and how he couldn't wait to present them with the various awards and scholarships. He didn't care whether his football players went on to play in college or the NFL or not, just as long as they were successful and were happy with the choices they made in life. With tears in his eyes, he concluded his speech and introduced Assistant Coach Coulson to help him begin the awards ceremony portion of the banquet.

Assistant Coach Coulson walked on stage, gave Coach Ross a quick hug and began to assist in handing out the awards. For the most part, many of the awards went to football players that Natasha didn't know but she applauded anyways to be polite.

Halfway through the ceremony, Thor was awarded with the Ross Stulgaitis Scholarship. The Ross Stulgaitis Scholarship was worth almost $5,000 for him to put towards college in any way, shape, or form. A couple minutes later, he was also awarded the Valor Award, an award that was given to a student who displayed boldness and determination throughout the football season. As Thor was on stage giving an acceptance speech, Natasha couldn't help but look over at Jane and see how proud she looked. She was proud alright, and there was no doubt, given the look in her eye, that she and Thor would be sleeping together again tonight.

Once Thor had swept up all of his awards, it was Steve's turn. Steve's award was a special case, and everyone knew it was a big deal when Coach Ross excused himself from the stage and sent someone else to take over. Taking the stage was University of Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly. Peggy squealed with delight when she saw him take the stage, and so did the rest of the audience. Clearly this was a big deal.

Coach Kelly was at the banquet for one person, and one person only, and that person was Steve. His purpose was to award Steve with a full ride to Notre Dame on a football scholarship. Natasha looked over at Steve just in time to see his jaw drop. He wasn't expecting this and neither was anyone else. Coach Kelly concluded his speech and invited Steve up on stage with him.

Steve was in a haze as he pushed his chair out from behind him and weaved his way in and out of the tables to the stage. When he approached Coach Kelly, he shook his hand with a grin stretched across his face. Steve turned back to the audience and looked straight at his parents as if to nonverbally ask "Can I go to Notre Dame, Mom and Dad?" His parents nodded their heads – Steve's mom with tears in her eyes – and with that, Steve had made a verbal commitment to attend Notre Dame in the fall.

Steve bounded back down the stage and sprinted back to the table. He ignored the affection from his parents and went straight to Peggy. He pulled her out of her chair, dipped her, and planted a kiss right on her lips, romantically and passionately, in front of all the banquet guests.

When the banquet guests had finally calmed down, Coach Ross took the stage once more for one final award.

"Now, as the banquet begins to wind down, I have one final award and announcement," Coach Ross began. "First off, it is with great sadness for me to announce that this season is my final season coaching football."

The banquet guests were nearly in an uproar at this comment and it took a couple minutes for Coach Ross to calm them down.

"I have had the time of my life coaching these fine young men, but it is time for me to pass the torch," Coach Ross continued. "With that said, Assistant Coach Coulson will officially be Coach Coulson in the fall."

The newly-dubbed Coach Coulson made his way onto the stage and gave Coach Ross a long hug. When they broke away, both men had tears in their eyes, but Coach Ross turned back to the microphone to continue.

"There is some good in my retirement," Coach Ross announced. "Over the years I have been slowly but surely setting aside some money to award to one of my finest players on the last team I coach. It is now time for me to finally let that money go. I don't need it. I don't want it.

"And this fine young man deserves it," Coach Ross said. "I've watched as he has grown as a football player over the years. He has displayed great leadership, determination, and dedication to this team. I wouldn't give this to anyone else because this young man deserves it.

"And with that, I am to award $10,000 to…" Coach Ross paused, and the entire audience inched to the edge of their seats in anticipation. "Mr. Clint Barton."

Natasha's jaw dropped and she turned her head to Clint, who didn't even look slightly shocked. Mrs. Barton was full-blow crying next to Clint and Mr. Barton's hand was over his mouth in shock. Clint stood and made his way to the stage. Suddenly, Natasha felt like such an idiot for not saying something to him.

She watched as Clint climbed the stage and firmly shook Coach Ross's hand, then embraced him. She was seriously wondering why Clint didn't look shocked because she certainly was. Ten thousand dollars to put towards college and it didn't even faze him. Coach Ross handed him the check and Clint approached the microphone to give a speech.

"Thanks Coach," Clint choked out. "A lot of you are probably wondering why I don't look very shocked to be receiving this. It's because I basically got the entire celebration out of my system when Coach Ross told me about a week ago that he would be awarding me with this. He called it the Fred Ross Football Academic Scholarship, which is weird because it's a one-time thing."

The audience laughed at Clint's lame joke and he continued.

"I still don't know where I'll be in the fall. I've gotten accepted to Temple, Penn State's Main Campus, Syracuse, and Drexel. I'm still waiting on West Chester, Montclair, Boston University, and University of Pittsburgh. I wish I could tell you where I'll be so I can fit in with Steve and Thor, who already know where they're going.

"What I can tell you is where I'll be the first Saturday in May, and that's at prom," Clint said.

Natasha felt her heart sink. _That son of a bitch asked someone else?_ She thought to herself.

"But I can't really go if I don't have a date," Clint said, shrugging his shoulders. "So I guess I better ask some really pretty girl."

Natasha watched as Clint leaned forward and grabbed something that Principal Fury was handing to him. When Clint straightened up, Natasha saw it was one single rose.

"Like I said, I should probably ask this really pretty girl that I'm kind of in love with if she wants to go to prom with me, because I kind of can't bear to look at the disappointment in her eyes anymore that I haven't asked her yet."

Clint took a deep breath and Natasha felt her heart start to pound against her rib cage.

"So…Natasha Alianovna Romanoff," Clint said. "Will you go to prom with me?"

Natasha felt hundreds of eyes turn to look at her, and she heard Jane squeal with delight. Clint jumped down from the stage and made his way to the table where Natasha was sitting with his family and friends. When he came around the table, she stood up from her chair awkwardly, knocking it backwards. Clint chuckled and looked her right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you earlier," he said just loud enough for the both of them to hear. "I wasn't sure how, and I'm sorry for disappointing you for so long. I just hope you can forgive me enough to say yes."

Natasha opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She was in too much shock that he had finally asked her that she couldn't even manage to say yes. Therefore, she took a deep breath and nodded her head. Clint smiled and wrapped his arms around her to pull her close for a kiss.

When he kissed her, she felt her head spin, and then it was as if it was just the two them in the room. It was just her and Clint and that was all that mattered. They pulled away from each other and Clint brushed a piece of hair out of her face. Then, he turned to the banquet guests.

"In case you guys didn't notice, she said yes," Clint announced. The banquet guests erupted in cheers as Clint leaned in to kiss her one more time. Natasha didn't care if they had an audience as Clint continued to kiss her. All that mattered was that Natasha Romanoff was going to prom with Clint Barton.

* * *

**I mean seriously, I wish I had a guy as great as Clint. Haha, seriously. So prom will be coming up!**

**With that said, the next update might not come until Sunday. I may be able to have it up tomorrow, but it all depends if I get my six page paper done. Blahhhh. Then Friday I go see Dave Matthews Band live and then I work 4-10 on Saturday, and then 8-4 on Sunday. So you may get a chapter tomorrow, or you might not. If not, the next time is probably going to be Sunday, and I'm really truly sorry. I love writing this story as much as you guys love reading it but I just don't have the time between now and Sunday. I'm just as excited to find out what's next for Natasha and Clint as you are so it pains me to have to possibly take a break.**

**But anyways, with all that aside, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. I still love reading your reviews so please review! Let me know what you guys think of Clint's prom proposal to Natasha!**


	23. Prom

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry for not posting this earlier. I planned on working on this after work today but then my dad asked me if I wanted to go see _Ted_ so I did (it was hilarious by the way. Funniest movie I'd seen since _Superbad_). Anyways, I have been working on this chapter since I finished that ridiculous paper late Thursday night/early Friday morning so it may not seem consistent. When I don't write something all at once, it tends to not be consistent or not flow well, so I apologize in advance. But either way, here is chapter 23!**

* * *

Following Clint's prom proposal at the Senior Football Banquet, Natasha had less than a month and a half to find a dress. She was lucky enough that Peggy and Jane still hadn't found dresses either, which made it easier for Natasha to shop.

When Natasha wasn't working or spending time with Clint, she was with Peggy and Jane driving anywhere within a 25 mile radius trying to find the perfect prom dress. On the fourth trip, Peggy found her prom dress – a crimson red satin curve-hugging strapless dress with a mermaid bottom. Jane squealed with excitement when Peggy had tried it on and Natasha nodded in approval.

"God, Steve is going to _die_ when he sees you," Jane had said as Peggy twirled around in her dress.

On the eighth trip, Jane was lucky enough to find the perfect dress for her. They were at the mall in Allentown at an expensive store that sold evening wear when she saw the dress that she wanted. She knew it as soon as she tried on the dark blue ombré dress with the floral adorned strap stretching across her chest that it was the dress for her.

As Peggy and Jane obsessed over Jane's dress, Natasha felt like the odd one out. It was now two weeks until prom, and she still didn't have anything to wear. Peggy and Jane noticed that she was upset about this and reassured her that they would find something for her to wear in no time.

Despite already having their dresses, Peggy and Jane still accompanied her on her hunt for a prom dress. As they sorted through the racks and displays of gowns made of silk and chiffon, Natasha couldn't help but get more and more frustrated. Peggy and Jane knew that Natasha was getting frustrated with being the only one who didn't have a prom dress and they tried their hardest to make her feel better about it.

"Natasha, you'll find a dress," Jane said as she pulled a knee-length dress from the rack and examined it.

"I just…I don't want to disappoint Clint," Natasha said letting out a sigh.

"Oh _please_," Peggy said. "You could wear a garbage bag to prom and Clint would still think you're the most beautiful person there."

"If I don't find a dress soon, I probably _will_ be wearing a garbage bag," Natasha said, angrily pushing the dresses aside on the rack.

"Oh stop, you'll find a dress," Peggy said waving off her last comment.

Natasha had no luck and she felt bad that Peggy and Jane kept wasting their time to help her look for a dress. Not to mention wasting the gas in Peggy's car. Natasha always offered Peggy money for gas, even before the two girls had found their dresses, but Peggy refused the offer.

By the time they had arrived at Natasha's house, Natasha was even more frustrated that she was coming home, once again, empty handed. She invited Peggy and Jane inside and the girls happily obliged. They had even offered to help Natasha search online to see if there was anything worthy enough for prom.

Natasha's father was sitting on the living room couch – eating a microwavable meal and watching _Friends_ – when the girls walked through the front door. He greeted the girls with a friendly hello and Peggy and Jane reciprocated the gesture. Mr. Romanoff then turned to Natasha.

"My mom and dad sent something back with me for you. I set it on your bed in your room," Mr. Romanoff said. Natasha mumbled a "thank you" and made her way to her bedroom with Peggy and Jane in tow.

Natasha had expected maybe an envelope or just a tiny gift bag, but what she didn't expect was the enormous box that was placed in the center of her bed. Peggy and Jane whistled at the gigantic box and encouraged her to open it.

"They're probably just trying to bribe me again," Natasha said, tossing her bag onto her bed.

"Just open it Natasha," Peggy whined.

"Okay, okay," Natasha said, putting her hands up in defense. She stood next to her bed and pulled the box closer. She carefully slid the lid off to reveal a bunch of tissue paper and a note written on some very fancy cardstock. Natasha picked up the note and Peggy and Jane huddled around her to read it.

_Natasha_, it read._ Your dad said you were having trouble finding a dress for prom so your Pop Pop and I took the liberty of making a call to Ms. Georgina Chapman (the designer of Marchesa, in case you didn't know) and we gave her your measurements. She made this dress especially for you. We hope you like it, and we hope you and Clint have a fantastic time at prom. Love, Nana and Pop Pop._

Natasha placed the note on her bed beside the box and, with a shaky hand, slowly pulled away the tissue paper to reveal one of the most expensive looking dresses she had ever laid eyes on. She carefully pulled it out of its box to hold it up to her body. It was a simple white chiffon dress with intricate beading on the bodice and a strapless sweetheart neckline. As Natasha held it up against her, it even felt expensive, but given that it was a favor to her grandparents from this designer, it probably didn't even cost them a dime.

Peggy and Jane were rendered speechless as Natasha held it up to her body. Natasha didn't move at all, for fear that even the slightest movement would destroy it.

"Oh my God," Peggy muttered and Jane nodded in agreement.

"I know," Natasha said as she felt a smile spread across her face as she looked down at the dress.

"Damn it," Jane said suddenly. "Now this means we can't go shopping anymore."

Natasha looked up at Jane and giggled at her comment. "Don't be ridiculous Jane. I still need shoes and accessories."

* * *

The few hours leading up to prom were quite possibly the most stressful and tiring Natasha had ever experienced. She scheduled to have her hair done by a professional at a local salon, and by the time the girl had finished tugging at her hair and spraying it with hairspray, all Natasha wanted to do was go back to sleep.

Before they were to actually arrive at the Stroudsmoor – a country inn and resort located just a minute away from Tony Stark's house and where prom took place every year – they were to meet at Steve's house for pictures at 3:00. At 2:00, Natasha occupied the bathroom to apply just the right amount of makeup and then fix the few parts of her hair that had come undone.

At 2:30, Natasha cautiously slid into her dress and zipped up the back. She stared at herself in her full-length mirror in the corner of her room. To be honest, she didn't recognize herself and she couldn't help but wonder if Clint would like her dress. She backed up to sit on her bed and strapped on the simple silver heeled sandals she had bought. She slipped in the silver chandelier earrings and then grabbed her bag and walked out into the living room to show her father.

"Well?" she asked, nervously. Mr. Romanoff nodded in approval with tears in his eyes and gave Natasha a gentle squeeze and then they made their way out to his car so he could get Natasha to Steve's house. Natasha was still nervous if Clint would like her dress. He could tell her a million times that she was beautiful no matter what and she still wouldn't believe it.

As they pulled into Steve's driveway, Natasha could see that Clint had already arrived and was joking around with Steve and Thor in Steve's front yard. Peggy and Jane had also arrived and were fussing with one another's dresses, while the parents were standing on Steve's vast front porch conversing with one another. Mr. Romanoff got out of the car and came over to Natasha's side of the car to open the door and help her out.

When Mr. Romanoff opened the door for Natasha, she carefully picked up the hem of her dress and swung her legs out of the car. When she stood up straight she looked right at Clint, whose mouth was hanging open in awe.

_So, he likes it I take it?_ Natasha thought to herself.

Natasha carefully made her way across the grass to Clint, mouth still hanging open. She had seen him dressed up before but never like this, and never for her, and it made her heart race.

"Hi," she said, smiling at him when she approached him.

"H-hi," he stuttered, shaking his head to pull himself back to reality.

"You look handsome," she said.

"Y-yeah, you do too," Clint said, and Natasha tried to hide a laugh. "Wait, no, I meant to say that you look…I mean, you just look…"

Natasha giggled. "I think I got the point," she said.

Clint let out a breath. "You look beautiful, but I feel like beautiful just doesn't cut it so I don't know how to explain how you look."

Clint pushed back the strand of hair Natasha had kept loose and leaned in and kissed her. Once again, Natasha didn't care that they had an audience because all that mattered was that it was her and Clint.

When Clint pulled away from Natasha, Steve's parents announced from the porch that it was time for pictures. The group gathered in front of Steve's vast front porch and prepared themselves for the blinding flashes for the next half hour or so.

"Shit, I almost forgot!" Clint exclaimed as soon as he took his place for the photos. He rushed over to the porch and picked up a plastic container that held a simple white flower. When he came back to Natasha, he popped the lid off of the container and carefully took the flower out. Natasha smiled and held her arm out for Clint to slip the corsage on. After he did, he turned back to the parents – waiting impatiently to take pictures – and gave them the go ahead.

Flash after flash, the group of teens were instructed to look this way and look that way. The parents asked for pictures of just the girls, then just the boys. There were pictures of the teens with their parents, and then pictures of the couples.

After the ceremonial picture taking before prom, the teens piled into their cars and drove to the Stroudsmoor. The Stroudsmoor was a lovely country inn and resort which held prom for Stroudsburg every year. This year, prom would be taking place at the Terraview location, the biggest building to accommodate all of the students from Stroudsburg attending prom.

Because the Stroudsmoor was also an inn, many of the students had booked rooms and suites weeks prior to prom, and that included Clint, Natasha, Peggy, Steve, Thor, and Jane. By the time prom was over, they would be too exhausted to drive home. It wouldn't be a smart idea either, so they decided that reserving a few suites in the resort was the wiser choice. They were just surprised that all of their parents were okay with it.

When they arrived, they parked in the designated parking lot and headed into the castle-like building. For such a beautiful building, the prom committee had managed it into a stereotypical prom setting, complete with streamers and balloon arches.

The group found the table they had were assigned to and took their seats. Dinner would be served first, and then the actual prom festivities would follow. When the majority of the students had arrived, it was announced that they could begin choosing their dinner from the buffet.

One by one the students formed a line and went down the buffet, piling the appetizing food onto their plates and then returning to their respective tables. The vast room was abuzz with chatter and the scraping of silverware against plates. By the time dinner was finished being served, the prom attendees were just itching to set foot on the dance floor.

When the DJ started playing an upbeat pop song by Katy Perry, girls rushed onto the dance floor and started dancing to the beat. Peggy quickly got up from the table and hastily grabbed Steve by the hand and pulled him on the dance floor. Jane was just as excited and grabbed Thor by the back of his tux and pulled him from his seat to the dance floor, leaving Natasha and Clint at the table by themselves.

Natasha giggled at Peggy and Jane's girly behavior but got up and pulled Clint onto the dance floor as well. The group was reunited on the dance floor and they jumped around to the beat.

Song after song, they slowed down or sped up their rhythms, feeling themselves getting hotter and hotter by the second. After a while, they took a break and returned to their table to find that dessert had been delivered. They savored the chocolate mousse cake and then walked over to the bar to get something to drink.

Since it was a high school event, the only drinks the students could get were water, fountain drinks, and non-alcoholic cocktails, such as Shirley Temples and virgin Strawberry Daiquiris. They ordered a couple Shirley Temples and some virgin Strawberry Daiquiris and walked back to their table, sipping on their drinks and savoring the flavors.

As they stared to sit down, a slow song came over the sound system. To anyone else, this particular song would mean nothing; it would be just another slow song for student to couple up and sway along to. For Clint and Natasha, this song meant so much. It was Florence & the Machine's "Never Let Me Go," and Clint did not want to pass up this opportunity.

He set his drink down on the table and offered his hand to Natasha, who took it with a smile on her face. Clint led her to the dance floor and then pulled her in close. Her arms were wrapped around his back and her head was rested against his shoulder, her face turned in towards his neck.

"We really should just consider this our song," she muttered against his chest.

Clint gave a low-chuckle. "Okay then. This is our song," he said.

She pulled away from Clint to look up at him. His hands were still resting on her waist, while she brought her hands to rest on the sides of his ribs. They stood there for what felt like an eternity before he leaned in to kiss her. A simple kiss but it held so much meaning.

As the song faded out and transformed into a hip-hop song, Natasha and Clint pulled away from each other, but were still in each other's arms. They started to feel enclosed as the remainder of the students piled back onto the dance floor to join in on the hip-hop action. Clint grabbed Natasha by the hand and led her out of the crowd.

He started to lead her to the table when she tugged his hand. When he turned around, she pointed towards the doors that led to the venue where the weddings were usually held. Clint nodded and Natasha pulled him by the hand through the door and they stepped into the cool spring night.

Terraview, the venue prom was currently held at, was also used for weddings. There was a cobblestone aisle that led up to the black steel gazebo. Behind the gazebo was an artificial waterfall that cascaded down into a small pool. There were two huge patches of grass on both sides of the aisle that were currently vacant; it was undoubtedly where the chairs for the guests were placed.

Natasha went to sit down on the wall of cobblestones in front of the lush greenery when Clint stopped her. He stripped off his jacket and laid it down on top of the stones, and then let her sit down. He took a seat right next to her and then wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

They were surprised no one else from prom had come outside to enjoy the peaceful alone time and no one came in the time they sat out there. After a couple minutes, Natasha shivered from the chilly nighttime air. It had been a gorgeous day, but the temperature had dropped off after the sun went down.

"Cold?" Clint asked, turning his head towards her.

Natasha nodded. "Real smart to give me your jacket to _sit on_," she said sarcastically.

Clint chuckled and she got up, pulled the jacket out from underneath her, and slipped it on. With his jacket on, she felt a lot warmer, and it only made it better when she leaned into him again and he wrapped his arm around her.

"Your dress is going to get ruined," he said.

Natasha shrugged. "I didn't pay for it," she said.

"What'd you do? Rob a prom dress shop?" Clint joked.

"No," she said, jabbing him in the ribs with her fist. "My grandparents got it for me. I was having trouble finding a dress because I didn't want to disappoint you so they took the liberty of having this custom made for me."

The fact that her grandparents got it for her didn't bother Clint, and neither did the custom made aspect of it. The fact that she thought he would be disappointed in her dress really bugged him.

"Disappoint me? Nat, how could you possibly disappoint me?" he asked. "Yes, you look beyond beautiful tonight, and the dress certainly contributes to it, but I don't look at the dress. I look at you."

Natasha turned her head so that she was looking up at Clint and she flashed him a ghost of a smile. He could sense that she didn't quite believe it so he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away, Natasha felt a wave of tiredness wash over her. She tried to stifle a yawn, but failed.

"Tired?" Clint asked.

Natasha nodded her head as she rested it against Clint's shoulder.

"Want to go to the room?" he asked. Natasha nodded her head again and Clint helped her up and led her back inside so they could grab their belongings. They returned to the table and found Steve, Peggy, Thor, and Jane taking a break from dancing. Clint told them that he and Natasha were headed to their suite and they headed off as their friends returned to the dance floor.

As they stepped out into the cool nighttime air again, Clint pulled Natasha close. They grabbed the overnight bags they had packed from Clint's car and then walked the distance across the resort to their suite. When they reached their suite – one-half of a small cottage on the outskirts of the resort – Clint whipped out the key and slid it into the lock. The door creaked open and Clint felt around on the wall for a light switch. He found the switch and flipped it upwards, flooding the room with light.

It was nothing too special, but it would suffice for the overnight stay. There was a queen-sized bed opposite where they stood, and an armoire to their left. There was an arm chair and an ottoman that matched in the corner, and a door that led to the bathroom on their right.

Natasha was the first to step into the room and she flopped down onto the bed on her back, letting out a sigh. Clint dropped the bags on the floor by the door, kicked the door shut, and crossed the room to lie on the bed with Natasha.

They laid there in silence for a couple minutes before Natasha sat up and started tugging at her hair. Clint sat up and looked at her in confusion until she pulled a bobby pin out.

"I'm going to need your help pulling my hair apart," she said as she dug into her hair again and pulled another bobby pin.

Clint brought his fingers up to her hair and started to pull out the pins as he found them.

"Geez, Nat, how many are in here?" Clint asked as he pulled out yet another pin from her hair.

"I have no clue," she said stifling another yawn.

It took some time, but once all 47 bobby pins were out of Natasha's hair, her hair hung in loose curls, barely touching her bare shoulders. She got up from the bed, pulled her hair up, and turned her back to Clint.

"Could you unzip me?" she asked. Clint looked at her dumbfounded, and he was sure if she saw the look on his face, she would have given him an annoyed look right back. He quickly got up from the bed and grabbed the zipper, gently pulling it down the back of her dress. A few times, his fingers brushed against her soft skin, and it felt like an electrical surge. Almost like when they were just starting to develop feelings for one another, except this was magnified by a thousand.

_Clint, don't_, Clint thought to himself. _She's not ready. Don't push it, you dumbass._

He removed his hands from the back of her dress. Anymore contact and he might make a mistake that he would regret. He couldn't help but want her. All of her, but he knew that she wasn't ready. The more pressure he put on it, the more he would push her away.

He watched as she stretched an arm across the front of her dress to hold it up and then walked over to her bag to root through it. She grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and hastily walked to the bathroom, closing the door with a click.

Clint's legs gave way and he fell back onto the bed. He didn't realize his hands were shaking until he ran one of his hands over his face.

After a couple more minutes, he heard the bathroom door softly open and he quickly composed himself. Natasha stepped out of the bathroom in a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of black yoga shorts. Just the sight of her made him want her more.

_Stop it Clint!_ He thought. _Just. Stop._

He slid off of the bed and walked over to his bag on the floor to search for a change of clothes. Natasha was pulling back the covers when he turned back around, and then he quickly rushed into the bathroom, nearly slamming the door and locking it. He tossed his clothes on the floor and turned on the sink faucet to splash some cold water onto his face.

_Get it together Clint_, he thought.

He dried off his face with one of the towels on the rack and then changed into his clean t-shirt and gym shorts. When he opened the door, he found Natasha already underneath the covers. She was lying on her side, facing the bathroom door, and she patted the empty space beside her.

She was just making this ten times harder for him. Her hair was a tangled mess splayed all over the pillows and her green eyes were bright and eager but weighed down with sleep. Clint walked over to the armchair and neatly laid out the tuxedo, then climbed into bed with Natasha. He covered himself up and then rolled on to his side so he could face Natasha. She tried to stifle another yawn but failed and Clint chuckled.

"You act like you haven't slept within the past 24 hours," Clint said.

"I feel like I haven't. All of that dancing, and then waking up at six a.m. to get my hair done. I'm pretty exhausted," Natasha said sleepily.

Natasha rolled onto her back and closed her eyes, almost as if she was ready to go to sleep without even saying so much as goodnight to Clint.

"Oh," she mumbled, with her eyes still closed. "Don't think I didn't notice your weird sexual frustration with me tonight."

Clint rolled onto his back and groaned. Great, so she had noticed. She opened her eyes and turned her head to face him.

"If tonight weren't prom," she said, "this would totally be the night. But, having sex the night of prom is so cliché so I figured I'd just be a tease again."

Clint groaned again and then rolled over to kiss her on the lips. Natasha giggled and kissed him back. When they pulled away, she flashed him a small smile, and then she rolled over onto her side to face the other wall. Clint, not wanting to sleep without her in his arms, nestled up against her back and slung his arm across her chest, lacing his fingers into hers.

So she was finally ready, but in Clint's eyes, having sex would probably never beat just having her in his arms, falling asleep to the rise and fall of her chest and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. Nothing could compare.

* * *

**Uh-oh, so Natasha's finally ready to take the next step. When will it happen? Only I know! haha. And sorry to burst your bubbles but Natasha's dress is not "custom made." Like, it's not one of a kind haha. It's actually from the Marchesa 2013 Resort Collection. I'm sure if you look it up, you guys will be able to figure out which one it is. I hope lol.**

**As always, thanks for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. I promise I'll try to not go on a hiatus as long as the one I just did. (Though, it was worth it. DMB was awesome! As always. Concert got cut short because storms were rolling in so they only did one song for the encore, but at least it was "Ants Marching.") So yeah, anyways, tell me what you guys thought of prom. Did it live up to your expectations or was it a let down? Therefore, review away!**


	24. Moving Up and Out

**Okay, I'm going to give you guys a bit of a background on Moving Up Day, which takes place in this chapter. I think I explain it pretty well but I'll just tell you. Moving Up Day is a ceremony at my former high school in which they present the graduating seniors with awards and scholarships, and then when that's done, they move out of their seats and gather around the flag pole while "It's Time To Go" is sung by students from Chorus. Then, the juniors move into the seniors' seats, making them officially seniors. My high school only has the seniors and juniors participate because the classes are so big, but for the sake of this story, all classes participate. Okay, we all clear? Good. Without further ado, here is chapter 24!**

* * *

There wasn't much free time in the month following prom for any of the students attending Stroudsburg High School. Juniors were busy taking their SATs. Seniors were prepping for graduation and college. There were too many school events to count on ones fingers and toes.

This also meant that there wasn't any time for Clint and Natasha to take their relationship to the next level. Natasha was too busy studying for her SATs and stressing out over them. Clint was busy with securing his living arrangements and classes for college in the fall. Clint had decided on going to Penn State Main in the fall, and anytime he brought up the topic with Natasha, she grew stiff and quickly tried to change the subject.

The fact that Clint was leaving for college in the fall was probably why she was finally ready. She had to admit that she was still scared and nervous, but she realized that she would be losing him in the fall. Not permanently, but she wasn't going to see him every day, and it scared the living hell out of her.

Every time she thought about it, there was a sharp pain in her chest, right near her heart. She didn't want him to go, and she knew he didn't want to leave her either. But Natasha wasn't selfish. She was quite proud that he was going to Penn State, and she wanted him to go and experience all of the fantastic things college has to offer. That included the crazy frat parties and getting wasted every weekend. Penn State wasn't one of the top party schools in the country for nothing.

Within the last few weeks of school, Natasha got extremely anxious. It was going to be hard watching him "move out" on Moving Up Day, a Stroudsburg ceremonial tradition in which the seniors moved out of the school and the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen moved up. It was going to be ten times harder to watch him graduate.

The week before graduation, Moving Up Day took place. Not only was it a ceremonial tradition for Stroudsburg, it was also meant to award the graduating class with academic scholarships and awards. The juniors, sophomores, and freshmen just sat there until it came time for them to "move up."

The temperature was in the 70's but the sun was beating down on the students on the football field with force. Unfortunately and fortunately, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There wouldn't be any rain, but all the students, parents, and staff wanted was a little break from the sunshine.

One by one, Natasha watched from the juniors section- seated in between Jane and Peggy – as seniors were called up to the makeshift stage on the field to accept their scholarships. Natasha cringed every single time Bobbi Morse's name was called, and then looked away as she saw her walk on stage to accept her awards.

As smart as Clint was, she didn't think he would win any scholarships or awards. It's not like he needed any anyways. Along with the $10,000 from Coach Ross, Clint was also awarded a $2,500 yearly scholarship from Penn State. He was pretty well off for his first year.

Natasha was caught off guard when his name was called to receive one of the academic department awards: history. Clint was always great at history and he could name the dates of an event in practically any country's history off the top of his head. It didn't surprise her that they would award him with being the top student in the history department, she just didn't expect it. Like the proud girlfriend that she was, she stood straight up and cheered him on as he went up to accept his award.

The rest of the ceremony went on without Clint, Steve, or Thor's names being called and Natasha, Peggy, and Jane didn't care. They'd already seen Clint, Steve, and Thor get awarded at the Senior Football Banquet back in March, and that was enough to make them proud.

When the ceremony began to come to a close, Principal Fury announced that it was time "move up and move out." The seniors filed out of their seats and headed to the end of the field to gather around the flag pole, while the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen "moved up" to their respective seats. The juniors were now seniors. Sophomores were now juniors, and freshmen were now sophomores.

The entire student body watched as the flag was lowered from the flag pole and the ceremony was officially over. Cheers erupted from the audience and the student body, and the field turned into total chaos as the student dispersed to hug their friends and celebrate moving up or moving out.

Natasha pushed her way through the crowd to find Clint at the end of the football field. He was standing there with Steve and Thor, and when he saw her, he took several steps towards her and immediately kissed her.

"No matter what happens this fall," he said when he pulled away from her. "I'll still love you. I promise."

* * *

The second Friday in June was graduation, and Natasha did not want it to come. Of course, it snuck up on her and she wasn't prepared to watch Clint graduate. She was prepared in the sense that she requested the night off of work about a month in advance, but mentally and emotionally, she would never be ready for it.

Natasha caught a ride with Clint's parents and Barney to graduation; Clint had to be at the school almost two hours prior. When they arrived at the school, they parked in the football practice fields across from the stadium and then walked to the stadium to grab some seats in the stands.

As 7:00 drew nearer, Natasha got extremely nervous. She wasn't quite sure why seeing as she wasn't the one graduating. They had the whole summer to do whatever they wanted, but come the end of August, Clint would be three hours away in State College. From there on out, Natasha would be all alone.

"Pomp and Circumstance" began to play and the crowd erupted in cheers as the soon-to-be graduates paraded onto the football field and took their places in the seats that were placed on the field. Natasha managed to find Clint in the crowd easily. He was seated on the outside of the third row on the boys' side. She wanted to wave to him, but she knew that even he wouldn't be able to find her in the stands.

Principal Fury stepped onto the makeshift stage and began his usual spiel about the future and living your dreams and trying not to fuck up. Even though he never quite phrased it that way, it was usually implied that that was the message he was trying to convey.

After Principal Fury's speech, he welcomed the class president on stage to give her speech. Natasha started to tune out. As much as she wanted this to be dragged out, she really didn't want to be listening to these speeches. They were a bunch of bullshit anyways about how they're all a family and finished this journey together. That even though they'll be going on to bigger and better things, they'll always have the memories they have together from high school.

By the time Natasha tuned back in, Principal Fury had taken the stage to begin announcing the names to hand out the diplomas. It felt like it was taking forever for Principal Fury to announce Clint's name, but when he did, Clint's parents, Barney, and Natasha stood and cheered for him. When he got his diploma and bounded down the stage steps, he did a lame fist pump into the air and Natasha giggled at his ridiculous gesture.

Since Clint's last name was in the B's, they had to sit through the rest of the students' names. One by one they watched at the rest of Clint's classmates received their diplomas. When Bobbi Morse's name was called, Natasha rolled her eyes at the large roar of cheers Bobbi received from her classmates. Natasha cheered for Steve and Thor as well when they received their diplomas.

When the final student received their diploma, the graduates were just itching for Principal Fury to present them as the most recent graduating class of Stroudsburg High School. When he did, cheers erupted from the field and the graduates were lost in a sea of graduation caps and silly string as fireworks exploded in the sky.

Natasha couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she watched the graduates celebrate. Graduation was an exciting time in anyone's life, and this would be Natasha in a year. She wasn't sure why she'd been so nervous in the beginning of the ceremony. This was exciting and she couldn't wait to celebrate it with Clint.

Clint's parents, Barney, and Natasha made their way down the field. They gently pushed past groups of families already celebrating as they searched for Clint through the sea of people. They found Clint on the outer edge of the field with Steve, Thor, Peggy, Jane, and Steve and Thor's parents.

Clint's parents hugged him and Barney gave him a playful punch in the arm. When his parents had gotten their emotions in check, they stepped back to let Natasha have her one-on-one with Clint. She stepped forward and gave Clint a hug but he picked her up and swung her around. Natasha giggled at his ridiculous behavior, and then he set her down firmly on the ground and looked her in the eyes.

"I graduated," he breathed.

"You graduated," she said with a smile. As much as it pained her to say it, he had definitely graduated and they had roughly less than two months left with each other.

He knew something was bugging her. He knew her too well. Anybody else wouldn't notice it because she was extremely skilled at hiding her emotions, but around Clint, he could read her like an open book.

Then he realized that he knew exactly what was bugging her. The fact that they only had a couple months left together was seriously eating away at her. Clint didn't like it either, but they had the whole summer to do whatever they wanted together.

"Hey," he said, lifting her chin up with his finger so she could look at him. "We're going to make this work, but for now, can we just have fun this summer?"

Natasha nodded and then Clint gave her a quick peck on the lips so they could proceed with taking pictures.

Graduation pictures took longer than the prom pictures and by the time they had finished, the crowd of parents and students had started to exit the stadium and head home for the night. Clint, Natasha, Clint's parents, and Barney broke off from the rest of the group and headed to their cars. Traffic was a nightmare already, so there was no way they'd be making it out of the parking lot anytime soon.

Clint said that he had parked closer to the school, and then slung his arm across Natasha's shoulders and pulled her towards the school with him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, confused.

"You don't want to ride back with me?" he asked with a sarcastic undertone.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "I do, dumbass."

Clint chuckled. "Okay, so technically we're not going home. I'm taking you somewhere."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, you're the one who just graduated high school. I should be taking _you_ somewhere."

"Yeah, well, since you don't know how to drive, I'm taking you somewhere."

They had reached Clint's car, which was parked in the faculty parking lot by the school. Many of the other high school graduates had parked here as well, and traffic wasn't so bad getting out of this parking lot so they were in luck. He unlocked the car and opened the passenger side door for Natasha for her to slide in. He shut the door and rounded the front of the car, and quickly slid into the driver's seat. He chucked his cap, gown, and diploma into the back seat and shoved the keys into the ignition.

Before they knew it, they were out of the parking lot and driving out of town towards home. Natasha didn't know where they were going and she was confused when they pulled into the parking lot of Hamilton Elementary School. Clint put the car in park and got out, rounding the front of the car, and opening Natasha's door when he reached the passenger side.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, stepping out of the car into the humid summer night air.

"We are going to swing on the swings," he said matter-of-factly.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "You just graduated high school and all you want to do is swing on the swings?"

"Duh," he said sarcastically. Natasha shook her head at him, but couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. Clint moved closer to her, resting his hands on her waist, and pulling her closer.

"I want to spend my graduation night here because this is where I first met you. I want to end the grade school years I spent with you where it started," he said.

Natasha lowered her head to hide the ridiculously goofy smile that she felt on her face.

"Okay," she said, looking back up at him. "But I get the third swing from the right."

She broke away from his grasp and started to run to the playground behind the school.

"No, that one goes the highest!" he whined as he chased after her.

* * *

They spent the night on the playground as if they were little kids again. They competed against each other to see who could go the highest on the swings; Natasha won because she was on the swing that was third from the right.

They jumped off the swings to see who could land the farthest. Natasha's legs had given way one time when she landed and she ended up on her back. She half-moaned, half-laughed at her stupidity as Clint laughed at her from a couple feet from her side.

"You okay, Nat?" he asked as he sat up to look at her.

"Oh, no," she moaned. "It hurts."

"Wait what?" he said, panicked.

She turned her head towards Clint and reached her hand towards him.

"Come kiss me and make it better," she said with a smirk.

Clint shook his head and felt a smile spread across his face. He crawled over to her where she was laying down in the grass and he braced his arms on both sides of her. He lowered himself down, but only enough so that he could feel her breath on his.

"Where does it hurt?" he muttered.

She brought a hand up to her face and tapped her lips with her index finger. Clint flashed a small smile before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers.

"But really," he said when he pulled away from her. "Are you okay? You're not hurt or anything?"

"No I'm totally fine," she said with a laugh. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and Clint pulled away from her to sit beside her. From where they were sitting, they had a perfect view of the entire playground, including the spot where Natasha was teased by the playground bullies many years ago.

"I still remember that day so well," Natasha said, nodding her head towards the spot where she was teased. Clint smiled; he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"You were a cocky little shit then," she teased.

"Hey!" he said in protest.

"Still are," she said with a smirk. "Just the way you introduced yourself. Pointing to yourself as you said your name. Who does that?"

"An adorable first grader who saves an even more adorable red-headed kindergartener from playground bullies," he said, leaning over the kiss her on the cheek.

"You thought I was adorable?" she asked, slightly blushing.

"Still do," he corrected.

Natasha smiled to herself, even though she knew that Clint could see it anyways. She looked around at the playground. It held so many memories and not just memories for them. Jane and Thor had their first kiss under the swirly slide. Clint, Steve, and Thor spent much of their recess time competing to see who could swing the highest on the swing set. There had been many skinned knees, and many battles over who gets to go on the monkey bars first. Now that they were all grown up, the conflicts of their elementary years felt like nothing compared to what they have faced and what they will have to face.

"What are we going to do Clint?" she muttered.

Clint turned his head to face her but she was still looking straight.

"What do you mean?" he asked, bewildered.

Natasha let out a breath. "You're leaving at the end of August. I know you said you won't be able to go a couple months without seeing me and that you'll come home but – but…" she trailed off.

Clint looked at her confusion but waited to see if she was going to finish. She took a deep breath and continued.

"I'm proud of you. I really am. You got into Penn State Main, and that's where you're going, and they're giving you a great scholarship to go there, but I can't help but feel extremely selfish. I don't want you to go."

"Hey. Hey, hey, hey," he said quickly and he leaned in to kiss her. She fell back against the grass as Clint continued to kiss her.

"We are going to make this work. I promise you," he said when he pulled away from her. "I'll come home every other weekend or you can come visit – ."

"And how the hell do you expect me to come visit you when I have no license and no car?" she interrupted condescendingly.

"I'll arrange transportation for you or something. I don't know, but if you want to come visit me, I will get you there somehow," he said.

"It's going to be so weird not having you around."

"I know," he said, "but we will make this work. I promise you. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that."

Natasha nodded her head and pushed herself back up. However, she didn't look at Clint at all. She just continued to look straight ahead.

"Are you going to look at me?" he asked.

She turned her head but didn't even crack a smile. Her entire face was expressionless, which meant that she was pouting.

"Stop pouting," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "I want a rematch anyways."

He got up and quickly claimed the third swing from the right. Natasha rolled her eyes and got up to sit on one of the swings next to him. When she looked over at him, pumping his legs to gain more momentum, she smiled at how childish he looked. She shook their conversation from her head and started pumping her legs to try to swing higher than Clint.

No matter how hard she tried, he was going to win because he had the third swing from the right. But she also realized that no matter how hard she tried to argue it, Clint would try his hardest to see her every weekend. As she looked around at her surroundings, she realized that ever since elementary school he had always been promising her this, and he kept his word every single time. The fact that she doubted him now was ridiculous so she decided that this time, she was going to trust him because she knew he wouldn't let her down.

* * *

**Awww how adorable! haha. So Clint graduated, Natasha's officially a senior, and they still haven't had sex yet? haha. It's coming up. I can tell you that much. Within at least the next three chapters.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Let me know what you guys think about Moving Up Day, graduation, and Clint and Natasha's talk on the playground. Review away! I still love reading what you guys think!**


	25. The Calm Before The Storm

**Hey guys! I did have this chapter posted like a half hour ago but as I was reading it again, I noticed some mistakes that would've made it confusing but this is the official chapter 25. I hope haha. I think you guys are going to like this chapter. It had the perfect blend of drama, romance, and humor. Also, I have a bit of a soundtrack set up for you guys if you so choose, but don't start listening to it until the second page break. Or section. Whatever you want to call it. So fire up YouTube and look up "Princess of China" by Coldplay feat. Rihanna, "Poison & Wine" by The Civil Wars, and "Send Me The Moon" by Sara Bareilles. Now, without further ado, here is chapter 25.**

* * *

The remainder of the month of June passed in a blur of road trips. Clint and Natasha spent every moment they had together. When they weren't taking trips to the beach or an amusement park, they spent their time in Clint's backyard huddled around a campfire roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. A couple times, Clint would dig out his bow and arrow set from the garage and he would test Natasha to see if she remembered everything that he taught her a few years ago.

Everything was going well until one day in the first week of July when Natasha was working the day shift at Sweet Creams, Bobbi and her group of friends had walked in and sat in her section. Natasha worked at a café so customers could seat themselves. She considered asking one of the other waitresses if they would like to wait on them but she knew that would just be a hassle.

Unfortunately, Natasha had to wait on Bobbi and her friends, as much as she didn't want to. She wouldn't be surprised that if by the end of their lunch, they had stiffed her no matter how nice Natasha acted towards them. Natasha took a deep breath and walked over to the table anyways to greet them and ask them if they wanted drinks.

Bobbi seemed to be cooperating as of right now. There was no telling what she had up her sleeve for later. She even seemed to be relatively nice to Natasha, but Natasha knew it had to be a façade.

Natasha brought them their drinks and then asked them for their orders. When they finished rattling off their orders, Natasha took off towards the kitchen, thrust the slip at the cooks, and collapsed against the counter.

_She's here for a reason. She's here to fuck with me_, Natasha thought.

Natasha composed herself and then went back out into the restaurant to check on the rest of her tables. By the time she had checked on all of her tables and rang up their checks, Bobbi and her friends' food was ready. Natasha rushed into the kitchen, grabbed the plates, and swiftly walked out into the restaurant. She reached Bobbi's table and placed each plate in front their respective owners.

Bobbi didn't say anything other than "thank you" when Natasha placed her food in front of her. When everyone had their food, Natasha asked if they wanted anything else, and when they said no, Natasha told them to enjoy their food and she walked away.

After taking orders from a couple more tables Natasha had received, she returned to Bobbi's table to ask them how everything was. They all replied that it was good, including Bobbi, and Natasha turned to walk away when she heard Bobbi call out her name. Natasha tensed up, but she turned around to face Bobbi.

"Yes?" Natasha asked with the fakest smile across her face.

"How are you and Clint doing?" Bobbi asked, staring down at her plate and stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Natasha said icily.

"Mmm, okay. I was just wondering if he still thinks about our night at the eighth grade farewell dance."

Natasha tensed up again. _The fuck is she talking about?_ Natasha thought. When Natasha didn't answer, Bobbi looked up from her plate with a mischievous smirk across her face.

"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Bobbi said innocently.

"Bobbi, stop it," one of Bobbi's friends said.

"No, it's okay. I would _love_ to hear this," Natasha said sarcastically.

"You weren't your boyfriend's first kiss," Bobbi said, stabbing another piece of chicken and shoving it into her mouth. She chewed but that mischievous smirk never left her face.

Natasha shook her head. "Whatever lies you're trying to spread, it's not going to work."

"Oh trust me. It's not a lie. You should probably ask him yourself."

"Clint tells me everything so this is clearly a lie," Natasha said crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh. Well, it seems as if he didn't tell you this," Bobbi said, setting down her fork. "Just ask him."

Natasha glared at her and continued to stand her ground by the table.

"Just wow, his lips on mine that first time. It felt so perfect," Bobbi said, running her fingers over her lips. "Just ask him. You'd be surprised what he'll tell you."

For a split second, Natasha felt herself give up. Of all the people to trust in a situation like this, she would choose Clint over Bobbi any day, but Bobbi had kissed Clint before. In front of Natasha, nonetheless. Clint wouldn't lie about kissing Bobbi before her though. Right?

"I think we'll take the check," Bobbi said, relaxing back into her seat. Natasha stared at her for a couple more seconds then rushed over to the counter to ring up their check. She pressed the buttons with a little more force than usual and then ripped the receipt from the register when it printed out. She stomped back over to Bobbi's table, slammed the paper on the table, and through clenched teeth, told them to have a nice day.

As she walked to the back of the restaurant to her boss' office, she reached behind her to untie the apron from her. She chucked it into the basket with the other dirty aprons and walked into her boss' office unannounced.

"I need to go home," Natasha announced, her voice shaking.

"Natasha, are you alright?" her boss asked from her desk.

"No, I really, really need to go home," Natasha said. Her voice was shaking worse than ever and she could feel herself on the verge of tears. She couldn't even believe that Bobbi had gotten to her.

"Okay, okay," her boss said. "Do you need a ride home?"

"No," Natasha said through clenched teeth. She stomped out of the office – grabbing her bag on the arm chair on the way – and through the back door into the humid summer air. Since she was leaving work early, she had no way of getting home, but she wasn't going home. Where she was going, she needed all the time possible to think of what she was going to say, so she started to walk up Main Street and started to brainstorm all of the things she was going to say to Clint when she reached his house.

* * *

_Slap!_

"Is it true!" Natasha asked, her voice shaking, when Clint had answered the front door. Everything she had thought of on her walk to Clint's house was completely forgotten when he answered the door and her instincts had taken over. She had slapped him clear across the face, and she hoped it had hurt.

"Nat, what the fucking hell?" he asked, rubbing the side of his face where Natasha had slapped him.

"Is. It. True?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Is what true?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"Bobbi was your first kiss!" she screamed.

_No_, Clint thought. _Oh, no, no, no, no, no._

The fact that Clint didn't answer hurt Natasha. This clearly meant that it was true. Natasha shook her head, let out a breath, and stomped down the front steps. On her way over to Clint's, she noticed the dark grey storm clouds advancing over town. When she stepped down from Clint's front porch, she felt a few rain drops hit her face.

"Wait, Tasha! No!" Clint said, rushing down the steps. Natasha kept walking; she didn't want to look him in the eyes right now. He grabbed her arm but she yanked it from his grasp and kept walking. She turned onto the road and headed towards her house.

The small drizzle that had started as she walked down Clint's front porch had now turned into a steady shower. She could hear a rumble of thunder off in the distance, and a bolt of cloud-to-cloud lightning lit up the angry sky. However, the most notable sound she heard was Clint's footsteps behind her; he was still following her.

"Please Nat," he begged. "Just stop and talk to me."

"No," she growled. She wasn't quite sure if the wetness on her face was from the rain or if she was crying. Either way, she wasn't sure if it mattered.

As hard as she tried to get him to go away, Clint wouldn't give up. He followed her all the way to her house, and by that time, it was pouring, the wind had picked up, and the thunder was getting closer.

"Natasha," he breathed her name. Natasha tensed up; he hadn't addressed her by her full first name since they were in elementary school when they first met. She let a whimper escape her throat, and she wrapped her arms around her as she turned around to face him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she whimpered.

"I…I don't know," he said breathlessly. "But Nat, it was before we were dating."

"I don't care if it was before we dated. I was under the impression that you were my first kiss and I was yours. Our first kiss now seems to be tainted by Bobbi fucking Morse."

"Did she tell you this? She told you this, didn't she?" Clint asked. When Natasha didn't respond he got his answer.

"Did she tell you that I pushed her away because it felt wrong?" he asked. Natasha looked at him disbelief and when she didn't answer, he took it as a sign to continue.

"I don't understand why you never believe me, but I sure hope you'll believe me when I say this. It's always been you, Natasha. Deep down, it has always been you. At the eighth grade farewell dance, it felt wrong to be there without you, and when Bobbi kissed me, that was the last straw. I left because it wasn't right without you."

"But why didn't you tell me!" she wailed.

"Because it didn't matter! That kiss will never count in my eyes."

"A kiss is a kiss Clint. It counts no matter what," Natasha said icily.

"Fuck that! We can bend the rules. It shouldn't count if one of the people involved isn't willing."

They stood in the rain in silence for a couple minutes. The only sound was of the crackling of thunder growing closer and closer. Clint saw Natasha bite the inside of her mouth and then he looked at her eyes. They were red and puffy. It wasn't the rain that was soaking her face, it was her own tears.

"Tasha, I love you," he said, his voice slightly cracking. "I love you so much. I don't want us to fight. I regret not telling you. I swear, but please don't break my heart over something Bobbi said because it's not worth it."

Natasha felt her own heart break as he said that. She had been cold, heartless, and an all-around bitch. She supposed Clint had kept it from her because not only was it unimportant, but he loved her too much to tell her.

"You can keep standing out here and catch pneumonia if you want, but I'm going in your house to get dry," he said brushing past her. He walked up the porch steps and was about to grab the spare key under the mat when Natasha stopped him.

"Clint!" she called from her driveway, and turned around to face him. He whipped around to see that she hadn't really moved from her spot, but the look in her eyes meant that she was sincerely sorry.

"Why won't she leave us alone?" she asked, her voice cracking. She could feel more tears about to spill over and it blurred her vision. She didn't even notice that Clint had walked back down the porch steps into the rain; his arms were around her before she knew it.

"Stop, Nat," he muttered. "You have to stop letting her get to you."

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, but she couldn't keep the tears from falling.

"You're my weakness. She uses you against me," she wailed.

"I know, I know," he said, tightening his grip on her. They stood there in the middle of her driveway, not moving the slightest even as the rain continued to pour down and the thunder continued to rumble. Natasha tried to push herself away once she calmed herself down, but she only managed to pull away enough so that she could look Clint in the eyes.

That's when he leaned in and kissed her with all the energy he had, and she kissed him back. The kiss became more aggressive when Natasha had reached up on her tip toes to put more force behind it.

"Inside," she breathed when she briefly broke her lips away from his. They rushed up the steps and Natasha grabbed the spare key from under the mat, jamming it into the lock and turning it. The door swung open when she turned the door knob.

They stumbled into Natasha's house, and she reached behind Clint to close the door, and then pushed him up against it while still kissing him. She tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt, which was soaking wet, and he helped her lift it over his head. It landed in a sopping wet heap on the floor a couple feet away from them.

Natasha tossed her bag behind her and it landed with a thud on the hardwood floor. She grabbed at the top of Clint's jeans and unbuckled the belt, pulling it through the loops and whipping it across the room.

Clint started fingering the top of her shirt and slowly started to undo the buttons. Natasha got nervous when Clint undid the last button, but she wasn't going to stop him. She helped him slide her shirt off of her body, revealing her black lace bra. In that moment, she was thankful that she had worn one of her nicer looking bras as opposed to the simpler ones that she owned.

"Bedroom," she breathed and Clint nodded. They stumbled towards her bedroom, never breaking the kiss. When they reached her room, they backed up to her bed until the backs of her legs hit the edge of the bed and collapsed on top of the mattress. She kicked off her shoes and she heard Clint fumble to get his off as well. He climbed on top of her, looped one of his fingers through the belt loops on her pants, and tugged. Natasha gasped at the action and Clint stopped and muttered a "sorry" but she just shook her head and continued to kiss him.

She felt Clint's fingers fumbled over the button of her pants, but when he undid the button, he gently slid her pants off of her and tossed them onto the floor. Then, with shaking fingers, Natasha undid the button on Clint's jeans. He got off of her for a couple seconds so he could awkwardly step out of his jeans but then he immediately resumed kissing her.

Clint broke away from her lips and she almost let out a whimper because of the absence until he started to trail kisses down her neck and chest. When Clint's lips reached her stomach, she couldn't control the butterflies she felt inside of her. He reached back up to her face and attacked her lips with force.

After a couple more minutes of intense kissing, Clint pulled his lips away from hers and his blue-grey eyes connected with her green ones.

"Are you sure, Nat?" he asked. She nodded her head, her eyes eager.

"Positive?"

"Yes, Clint," she said with a giggle, running her fingers over the scars on his torso from the accident last summer.

"You have to tell me if I'm hurting you. Don't give me shit about having a high tolerance for pain. If I'm hurting you, tell me to stop," he demanded.

"I promise," she whispered. He smiled down at her and then kissed her, gently but slowly making it aggressive.

They reached for the covers and pillows and burrowed themselves underneath them. If anything had hurt, Natasha didn't realize it because she was finally with Clint. It was just the two of them, and it meant that they loved each other without any boundaries.

* * *

"Umm, where's your dad?" Clint asked from the couch. Natasha appeared behind him – wearing just her underwear and his t-shirt – and handed him a bottle of water. Natasha carefully stepped around the coffee table so as not to bump it because of the candles burning on it. At one point, the storm had knocked out the power, and Clint and Natasha hadn't realized it until they had climbed out of bed to grab their clothes from around the house and toss them into the dryer.

"The Hamptons with Mr. Osborn," Natasha said, gently sitting down on the couch next to Clint. Since she was wearing his t-shirt, the only thing he was wearing was his boxers. Not that Natasha cared because she rather liked the sight of him right now, and she was sure he liked looking at her wearing his t-shirt.

He watched as she carefully lowered herself onto the couch, and wondered if she was okay. He didn't really like the way she was moving.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, waving off his question.

"Nat, seriously," he said.

Natasha sighed. "It's not a big deal. I'm just a little sore. It's supposed to happen after the first time."

Clint leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. When she turned to face him, his lips connected with hers. When they pulled apart, Clint wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

"We really made a mess of this place when we came in, didn't we?" Natasha said, looking around at the puddles of water on the floor that they had yet to clean up.

Clint shrugged. "It's nowhere near as bad as your bedroom right now."

"Clint!" she squealed and punched him in the ribs. He winced, but grabbed her by the waist and tackled her onto her back on the couch. He climbed on top of her and looked down into her green eyes. Her red hair was splayed out on the couch underneath her head and it looked like a fiery halo. He smiled and brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face.

"Was it okay?" he asked. "You're not disappointed or anything, are you?"

Natasha giggled. "It was the first time Clint. What would I have to be disappointed about?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you were expecting it to be more romantic."

She pushed herself up so that her lips were just close enough to Clint's. "Kissing in the rain. Absentee parents. The power going out. How is any of that not romantic?" she asked with a grin spreading across her face.

Clint chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. As the kiss deepened, he felt her hitch her legs around the back of his thighs. That's when it hit him, and he couldn't realize how stupid he had been.

"Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," he said, breaking the kiss and backing away from her.

"What?" she looked at him in confusion.

"We didn't – we didn't use. I mean – we did this without..." he sputtered.

Natasha looked at him as if he was crazy, but finally understood what he was saying and then burst into laughter.

"Tasha, this is not funny. What if you get pregnant?" Clint said.

"I'm not going to get pregnant," she said, wiping the tears from her face from laughing so hard.

"How do you know? It could happen!"

"Because I'm on The Pill dumbass," she said matter-of-factly.

"You're on the…wait what?"

"God you're an idiot," she said, trying to suppress a laugh. "I take a pill everyday to prevent me from getting pregnant if I have sex."

"I know what The Pill is. I just didn't know you were on it."

"Well now you do," she said as she crawled across the couch to him. "So, with that said, what do you say to round two?"

"My girl is naughty," Clint teased as he leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away.

"Not on the couch where my dad sits," she said, getting up and walking to her bedroom, her hips swaying with every stride. He couldn't help but stare at how his t-shirt hit really low on her thighs.

"Come on!" she called from her bedroom. He got up from the couch as quick as he possibly could and rushed to her room, slamming the door on the way in.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the windows in Natasha's room. After their second round last night, Clint and Natasha had fallen asleep in each other's arms from exhaustion but not before Clint had checked his phone. He had left in a hurry earlier in the day to make sure Natasha was okay that he didn't even realize it looked suspicious that his car was in the driveway but he wasn't home. His mom had left him two voicemails, her voice panicked, and there was also a message from his father. He called them back to inform them that Natasha had left work early, upset with him, and she had ran off once she made it to his house.

His parents were shocked to hear that they had had a fight but when Clint told them that everything was fine, Natasha snorted a laugh. When Clint finished his conversation on the phone with his parents, he had collapsed back on the bed and Natasha had curled up against him. With that, they fell asleep.

The bright sunlight was disturbing Clint's slumber, and he was woken up immediately. He glanced over at the clock on Natasha's bedside table to see that it read 11:34. Clint sighed. There was no way he was going to be able to fall back asleep but there was no way he was going to wake up Natasha.

Clint laid there for a couple minutes just staring at the ceiling when he heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. He thought he imagined it, or that he was hearing things, until he heard Mr. Romanoff walk through the front door and announce Natasha's name.

Clint started to panic; he was going to have to wake up Natasha now. He poked her gently in the shoulder and she stirred. When she rolled over onto her back, she rubbed her eyes and looked over at Clint and smiled. She saw the panic in his eyes and the smile quickly faded.

"Your dad's home," Clint hissed.

"What? Oh fuck!" she hissed, tossing the covers off of her body. At this point, she didn't care if Clint was going to see her completely naked in broad daylight. She needed to hide Clint's clothes and Clint himself. She stumbled over to her dresser and yanked out a t-shirt and shorts, pulling them onto her body.

She turned around and saw Clint awkwardly pulling on his jeans. She grabbed his t-shirt that was lying by her feet and chucked it across the bed at him.

"Put your phone on silent and get under the bed," she ordered.

"What?" he asked in a panic.

"The bed. Under it. Now," she demanded, and she watched as Clint disappeared under the bed.

Natasha quickly ran a brush through her hair just as her dad opened her bedroom door. She flashed her dad a smile and he reciprocated the gesture.

"How was your weekend?" he asked, his hand lingering on the doorknob.

"Oh you know nothing special. Work, hanging out with Clint. The usual," she said shrugging her shoulders. "How was your bromantic weekend with Mr. Osborn?"

Mr. Romanoff chuckled at Natasha's joke. "It was great. The Hamptons really is a magnificent vacation spot. You should come one time."

"Yeah, that would be great," Natasha said a little more excitedly than necessary.

Mr. Romanoff gave her a look and then said, "Are you okay? You look a little flustered."

"Well, I practically just woke up so…" she trailed off.

Mr. Romanoff nodded his head and turned to leave her room when he suddenly turned around, startling Natasha.

"Oh, don't think I didn't know that Mr. Barton is hiding half-naked under your bed," Mr. Romanoff deadpanned. With that, he left, closing her bedroom door on the way out.

"Damn, he's good," Clint said as he crawled out from underneath her bed. He crossed to the other side of the room where Natasha stood and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"That's probably my cue to leave," he said.

"No," she whined.

"The last thing I want is for your father to snap my neck because I had sex with his daughter."

"Okay," she sighed.

He gave her another quick peck on the lips. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she said with a smile.

He put his hand on the doorknob when Natasha stopped him.

"You know, just to be safe. Why don't you go out the window? I really don't want to watch my dad snap the neck of the boy I love."

Clint smirked and he made his way over to the window with Natasha on his heels. He lifted open the window and swung one leg out when Natasha stopped him with another kiss. He stumbled out of the window and Natasha watched as he disappeared around the corner of the house.

_Well_, she thought. _I guess it's time for me to face my father._

She glumly dragged her feet out of her bedroom and prepared for the scolding she was so sure she was going to receive.

* * *

**There it is my dear readers. It finally happened. And I knew exactly when I wanted it to happen and what I wanted to happen. This has been bouncing around in my head for several chapters so I'm glad I could finally get it all out. Hence why it's so long.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of Clint and Natasha's sex-capades.**


	26. Last

**Hmmm, I really have nothing to say like I usually do before a chapter. Oh well haha. Here's chapter 26.**

* * *

The conversation Natasha had with her father after she got caught with Clint in her room wasn't a pleasant one but she was surprised at how calm he was during the entire thing. Mr. Romanoff knew something had to be going on between his daughter and Clint when she had made the decision to go on The Pill. He didn't ask questions when she made the decision and he picked up the prescription every month when she ran out. However, he just wasn't prepared for finding Natasha and Clint half-naked in her bedroom when he came home that day. Therefore, he wasn't prepared to give Natasha "The Talk," even though it was technically too late.

"Now I know Clint is a great guy and you're concerned about him leaving at the end of August but don't be stupid Natasha. You can't just go sleeping around with him because you're on that prescription," Mr. Romanoff said firmly.

"Please, Dad," Natasha whined. "Let's not talk about this."

"Yes, let's talk about this. I understand you two love each other but you can't just do, umm…_this_ whenever you feel like it."

"Dad, I got it. Can this conversation be over now? I kind of need a shower," Natasha said.

"Too much information Natasha!" Mr. Romanoff said.

"The power went out last night!" Natasha retorted. "Can't take a shower when the power's out, can I?"

Mr. Romanoff dismissed her as he turned a deep shade of red. Natasha scampered back to her bedroom and shut the bedroom door just as she heard the muffled ring of her phone. It sounded as if it was coming from the bed so she began tossing around the blankets and pillows until it was revealed to be caught between the comforter and the sheet.

She flipped it over to see who was calling her; it was Clint and she slid her thumb across the screen to answer the phone.

"Hi," she said with a smile across her face when she answered it.

"Hey, you're still alive," Clint teased.

"Of course I'm still alive. It was you my dad would've ripped to shreds," Natasha said, flopping back down onto her bed. "How much trouble were you in?"

"Not too much," Clint said. "I'm surprised my parents aren't blatantly aware of what we did last night."

"I'm sure they are. They just won't admit it."

"The whole town is probably aware of what we did last night. You got a little rough during round two."

"Hey!" she said in protest.

Clint chuckled. "Just telling it the way it is," he said.

Natasha giggled. "I love you Clint," she said softly.

"I love you too, Nat," he said. "Umm, see you later?"

"Probably not a smart idea given recent events," she said. "But if you're making s'mores later I'll totally sneak out."

Clint chuckled. "We might not have the stuff for it, but I'll run to the store and get it just for you."

"Deal," she said.

* * *

Clint and Natasha spent the rest of their summer days roasting marshmallows and hot dogs by a campfire in Clint's backyard, taking road trips to the beach, and, yes, having sex. Just because Natasha's father told her she couldn't sleep with Clint whenever she wanted, didn't mean she was going to listen.

Sometimes it was planned. One time, Clint set up a trail of rose petals and candles from the front door to her bedroom while she was at work and her father was in the city for the weekend. When she came home, all she saw were the rose petals and candles that led a path to her bedroom. The trail of rose petals and candles ended at Clint's feet and she looked up to find him holding the last rose to hand to her. What followed was inevitable.

Sometimes it wasn't planned. There was the time they were sitting on the couch at Clint's house watching a _True Blood_ marathon on HBO. Clint's parents were on vacation in Cape Cod with family friends and Barney was on a road trip with Tony so that left Clint and Natasha all alone to do what they pleased. Watching _True Blood_ had, to say the least, "inspired" them and they ran upstairs to Clint's room to try something different. Unfortunately, it ended badly with Natasha kicking him in the stomach out of frustration, and Clint falling off the bed and landing with a thud on his back on the hardwood floor. To say the least, when it was planned, it went a lot smoother.

As Clint's move-in date for college grew closer, Natasha grew more and more anxious. As soon as July melted into August, she just about had a full blown meltdown. In two weeks, Clint would be headed off to State College; Penn State usually started a week before most colleges and universities did.

As much as she tried to hide her emotions, Natasha couldn't hide them from Clint. Every single time Clint saw that sad look in her eye over the fact that he was leaving, he reassured her that he would see her at least once a week. He knew that would never be enough, but it was better than once a month.

When the week of Clint's move-in came, Clint spent every minute he and Natasha had together in the days leading up to his departure. The first night, after they had been cuddling by the campfire in Clint's backyard, Clint told her that it was getting late and he should be getting her home. As Clint went to get up, Natasha grabbed his hand, and when he looked at her, she shook her head no.

That's when he led her into the house, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. They crawled into his bed and Natasha curled right up next to him, and they fell asleep instantly. That's how they spent each night for the remainder of the week. They ignored the strange looks from Clint's parents as they climbed the steps to the second floor, and then crawled into Clint's bed where they slept curled up against each other.

The night before Clint's departure, Clint decided it would be a good idea to invite Peggy, Jane, Thor, and Steve over to take Natasha's mind off of everything. Steve had already been at Notre Dame for the past couple weeks for football practice but they had given him the weekend off and he decided to come home for a visit. Thor wouldn't be leaving for another week for Temple University in Philadelphia.

Natasha had practically been living out of a bag for the past week at Clint's house, but all of that would change tomorrow morning when Clint left. They would drop her off at her house before they embarked on the journey to State College; Natasha had decided that it would be better to say her goodbyes at home rather than breaking down and embarrassing herself on a college campus.

The night before Clint was to leave, Clint, Natasha, Peggy, Steve, Jane, and Thor huddled around the campfire roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. The sun had just set and the sky was in the twilight-stage. Not daytime anymore, but not quite night yet.

Clint and Natasha were wrapped up in a fleece blanket as they roasted their marshmallows. Somehow, Natasha managed to convince Clint to strip off his sweatshirt as well and give it to her; she had no plans of giving it back. Thor and Jane were tangled up in each other's arms, and Steve and Peggy were full-blown making out.

"What do you guys say to a game of football?" Thor asked, trying to break the tension. The boys would be leaving and the girls were still stuck in town to finish out their last year of high school. The façade of their relationships were fine, but deep down, they were all suffering.

Steve and Peggy broke away from each other, and Peggy turned to Thor. "Girls versus boys?" she asked with a sly smile.

"Oh, it's so on!" Jane squealed as she untangled herself from Thor and gently pushed him away.

"What do you say?" Clint asked, turning to Natasha.

"I say bring it on. You know I don't play by the rules," she teased, pushing the blanket off of her and standing up.

While the girls strategized, Clint dug out the pigskin from the garage. Steve and Thor were huddled with their heads bent at the other end of Clint's backyard. After a couple minutes, the group was ready to begin.

It wasn't a normal game of football, seeing as the girls weren't playing fair. They were easily slipping by the boys. Whether that was due to their weak tactics or the fact that they were letting the girls slip by, it didn't matter. Either way, after a good ten minutes, the girls were winning.

After another five minutes of letting the girls play unfairly, the boys started to fight fire with fire. When one of the girls had the ball, they usually barreled right towards them, lifted whoever had the ball over their shoulder, and demanded that they dropped it. The girls wouldn't give in at first, but eventually caved and dropped the ball.

As their game wore on into the night, Clint noticed that for the first time in weeks, Natasha was actually smiling. She had resulted in putting on fake smiles for her friends and family in the past couple of weeks to hide her sadness over Clint leaving. Anyone would have bought it, but Clint never did. Therefore, she never put on a fake smile around Clint because he could always tell if it was fake. After weeks and weeks of seeing her walk around with the same sad look on her face, it was nice to finally see a genuine smile.

By 10:00, the group had worn themselves out and it was time for them to turn in for the night. As they said their goodbyes, Natasha felt a wave of depressed hit her as she realized this was the last night she would spend with Clint in a while. She watched as Jane, Thor, Peggy, and Steve drove off in their respective cars and disappeared into the night, leaving only her and Clint standing in the dimly lit driveway.

"Oh come on," Clint whined, and she turned to face him. "You finally smile after several weeks of not smiling, and now it's _gone_?"

Clint's comment was genuine, and she smiled. She even managed to laugh.

"There it is," he muttered, lifting her chin so that he could look into her beautiful green eyes.

"Stop looking so depressed. It's scaring me," he said, and she let out a small laugh.

"Nat, come on. The first two weeks are going to be hard. I know they will be, but you're coming Labor Day weekend right?"

Natasha nodded. When Clint had found out that not only was the first football game of the season during Labor Day weekend, but that Dave Matthews Band was also playing at Beaver Stadium that same weekend, Clint had convinced Natasha that that would be the first weekend for her to visit. Visiting the first weekend Clint was there would be out of the question since he would be preparing for classes, and it would be inconvenient for Natasha the following weekend since she would have to prepare for her senior year. Labor Day weekend was the next closest weekend they could see each other.

"Right," he agreed, "and I'm going to call you every day."

"You _better_ call me every day," Natasha grumbled.

Clint felt a small smile creep across his face. "That's the Natasha I know," he said.

They stood in the middle of the driveway – Clint's arms wrapped around Natasha – until sleep evaded them and they retired into the house. As they crawled into Clint's bed that night, Natasha realized she didn't want to go to sleep. No matter how tired she was, she didn't want to go to sleep because she didn't want to wake up and face what emotional obstacles she had to face in the morning.

Clint pulled her closer and she felt a tug in her chest. It would be two weeks until she could feel his arms around her again. Unfortunately, in Clint's arms is where she felt the most comfortable and she felt the darkness take her under as she slipped into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

The annoying buzzing of Clint's alarm clock woke her up promptly at eight a.m. Clint reached over her head to slap the off-button and Natasha pulled the covers over her head. She wasn't ready to face the day.

She felt Clint stir next to her and pull the covers over his head as well. When Natasha opened her eyes, she was face-to-face with Clint. His eyes were bright, but they were still weighed down with sleep.

"You have to face this sometime today Tasha," he mumbled.

"If I don't, does that mean you'll stay?" Natasha asked innocently.

"I would if I wouldn't lose a shit ton of money in the process."

"I'm not ready for you to go," she whispered.

Clint reached over and kissed her. Natasha felt another tug in her chest as she was reminded that she wouldn't feel his lips on hers for another two weeks. The absence was going to absolutely kill her.

"Stop pouting," he ordered. He whipped the covers off of both of them and then he climbed out of bed. He grabbed a set of clothes from his bag at the foot of the bed and then walked across the hall to the bathroom to get changed.

Natasha glumly swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked over to her bag in the corner of the room. She pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and started to quickly undress. She didn't care at all today about her appearance, and she didn't care if Clint's mom or dad walked in on her undressing. It was that kind of day where she just didn't care.

She pulled a bra out of her bag and put it on, and then slipped into her jeans. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her close to their chest. She almost smiled when she felt Clint rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Okay, I changed my mind. I'm not going," he said.

"You better be serious, Barton," Natasha deadpanned.

Clint didn't answer, and Natasha knew that that meant that he was joking. She broke free from his grasp and pulled her shirt over her head. She ran her fingers through her fiery red curls and then started shoving her belongings into her bag.

She heard Clint move to the other side of the room and pack up the rest of his belongings. They packed their things up in silence and when they were finished, they filed down the steps. Clint's mom and dad were piling the last of Clint's boxes into their car and Clint shoved his bag into the trunk just before they shut it.

When everything was packed up, Clint and Natasha slid into the back seat of the car and they took off towards Natasha's house. The ride was particularly quick, and Natasha didn't want it to end. She didn't want to face what was to come.

They pulled into her driveway and they rolled to complete stop. Clint and Natasha got out of the car and silently walked to her front porch. When they reached the door, Natasha turned around to face him. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep the tears from spilling over.

"Two weeks," Clint said. "Do you think you can handle that?"

Natasha shook her head. If she opened her mouth, she wasn't quite sure what was going to come out. She could be a blubbering mess. She could be completely calm. She could say absolutely nothing at all, so she just kept her mouth shut.

"You can handle it," Clint said reassuringly.

"How do you know?" Natasha asked as her voice cracked.

Clint placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her right in the eyes. "Because you're Natasha Romanoff. You have gone through more hell than most teenagers have."

Natasha rolled her eyes at him.

"Seriously. Playground bullies, a parental divorce and a custody battle - ," he said but Natasha interrupted him.

"Your accident," she whispered.

"Exactly," Clint agreed. "If you can handle all that, you can handle two weeks without me. Besides, you'll probably forget about me once school starts."

"I won't forget about you," she snapped.

Clint chuckled. "It was a joke, Nat."

"Oh, yeah. Right," she said.

Clint leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and then on the lips. It was a long and passionate kiss. It was a kiss that was going to have to suffice for the next two weeks.

When Clint pulled away, she didn't want it to end and she felt herself longing for more.

"Nat," he said and she looked straight at him. "I love you, and I'm going to miss you."

Natasha nodded. "I'm going to miss you too."

"Don't you want to tell me something else?" he asked condescendingly.

"And I love you too," Natasha said with a small laugh. Clint gave her another quick peck on the lips and then stepped back from her.

"I've got to go, but I'll see you in two weeks. Okay?" he said.

"Yeah, two weeks," she agreed. She watched him bound down the steps and then slide into the back seat of the car. As Mr. Barton backed the car out of her driveway, she gave a weak wave and then turned to the door to unlock it.

When she stepped inside of her house, it felt strangely empty and unfamiliar without Clint. Her father was the only other permanent resident of the house, but it felt wrong without Clint around. She closed the door, locking it, and then walked to her bedroom.

_It'll be fine_, she thought to herself. _Two weeks. That's not a big deal._

She stepped into her room and set her bag down on the floor. It wasn't long until she felt the sadness wash over her and she felt herself collapse down onto her bed. She didn't cry. She didn't even sob or let a stray tear escape. She sat there in silence repeating the same mantra over and over in her head.

_I can do this. I can do this. I can do this._

* * *

Natasha rubbed her bleary eyes and groaned as she heard the annoying beeping of her alarm clock go off from her bedside table. She rolled over and slapped the snooze button, immediately falling back asleep.

It wasn't long until she was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing from underneath her pillow. She groaned again and reached under her pillow to grab her phone. When she pulled it out and looked at the screen, her spirits were immediately lifted up. She slid her thumb across the screen to answer the incoming call.

"Morning gorgeous," came the familiar voice of Clint Barton from the other end.

Natasha let out a giggle. "Good morning to you too," she said, rubbing the sleep from her right eye.

Over the past two weeks, Natasha grew more accustomed to Clint's absence, but the first few days were hell. Even when he would call it would hurt, but as the days flew by, she got used to it. When she had talked to him last night, he promised her he would call her in the morning to wake her up for her last first day of high school. When Natasha had protested that she didn't need to be woken up, Clint just laughed. He knew her too well to know that once that alarm went off, she would hit the snooze button and fall right back asleep.

"You better not still be in bed," he said.

Natasha rolled her eyes, and she was sure Clint could imagine her doing it just by the silence. "I am. Don't rush it," she ordered.

"You have to rush it," he demanded, "or you'll be late."

"Shut up. I'm catching a ride with Peggy," she said, propping herself up on her elbow. "I'm not really in the mood to be ordered around by you this early in the morning so is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"Yeah. I love you and miss you," he said.

"Aw, you're too sweet. Too bad I don't miss you," Natasha teased.

"That's cruel. You're not invited here this weekend," he threatened.

"You can't deny me a chance to see Dave Matthews Band. That's practically torture," she said.

"Then admit that you love me and miss me and I'll give you back the invite."

"Fine. I love you, and I miss you. I'll even add in that I can't wait to see you this weekend," she said.

Clint chuckled. "I can't wait to see you either," he said. "Now get off the phone with me and get ready for school."

"Okay, fine," she whined, falling back against the pillows.

"Don't go back to bed."

"I won't."

"And Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Natasha felt the biggest smile spread across her face. "I love you too."

They said goodbye to each other and hung up. Natasha tossed her phone onto her bed and swung her legs over the side so she could get ready for her first day of her senior year. However, she couldn't get her mind off of her phone call with Clint.

_If I get phone calls like that every morning, I won't have a problem getting out of bed for school_, Natasha thought to herself as she pulled a shirt off of its hanger in her closet and prepared herself for her first day of senior year.

* * *

**Alright, next chapter, Natasha, Thor, Peggy, and Jane will be at Penn State with Clint! Steve won't be there unfortunately because he has to deal with football (we're thinking realistically here), but he'll be there in spirit. I feel like this was sort of a filler chapter so I'm sorry if it's disappointing or boring and uneventful.**

**I also have no idea how much longer this story is going on for. I know what I want to do with Natasha's senior year and Clint's first year of college, but I have no idea how many chapters it will be. It feels like (to me at least) that my story is coming to a close soon. But let's not think about that!**

**As always, thanks for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! I still enjoy reading what you guys think!**


	27. Welcome to Happy Valley

**Umm, so remind me to never get super comfortable in bed and try to write a chapter haha. I fell asleep last night while I was writing this. But here it is anyways! And a quick note. I added another Avenger from the comic book-verse. Any of you who are big fans of the comics will know who Janet Van Dyne is. She is Wasp and she's one of the original Avengers. She makes an appearance in this chapter as a friend of Clint's at Penn State. Don't worry, it's just a friendship, and it's going to stay that way. So, here is chapter 27!**

* * *

Natasha's first week of her senior year wasn't so bad. She was woken up every day by phone calls from Clint, which automatically put her in a better mood. She still had a full schedule, despite fulfilling all of her requirements for graduation a year early. She could have had a schedule half full of study halls if she so chose, but Natasha wanted to stay busy.

Surprisingly, she had managed to be placed in a lot of classes with Peggy and Jane, as well as Bruce Banner. Natasha and Bruce had classes together before – not to mention they were in the same kindergarten class in elementary school – but never this many. They practically had the same exact schedule.

By Wednesday night, Natasha was too excited for the trip to State College; she, Peggy, and Jane would be leaving right after school on Thursday for the long weekend. As she tossed clothes and toiletries into a large bag, she couldn't hide her excitement.

The school day dragged on and on Thursday. All Natasha wanted to do was get on the road to State College so she could finally see Clint after two weeks. By ninth period, she was getting antsy and she had started glancing at the clock every two minutes.

When the dismissal bell rang, Natasha was out of her seat and out of the classroom before anyone had even picked up their backpacks. She fast walked to the student parking lot to meet Jane and Peggy. When all of them met up, they piled into Peggy's car and made a quick stop at the Wawa across the street from the high school to pick up snacks and drinks for the road. After stocking up on Gatorade and water, and chips and brownies, they were setting off for State College on Interstate 80.

Within roughly three hours, Natasha would finally see Clint for the first time in two weeks. If she thought the entire school day dragged, the car ride was definitely worse. Even though she had Peggy and Jane to talk to, Clint was always on her mind and it made the ride that much worse.

When they merged onto the exit ramp, Natasha got extremely excited. She knew they had at least another 25 minutes until they reached University Park, but she knew that it meant she was that much closer to seeing Clint.

Everything was forgotten once they pulled onto the campus. The campus was a town itself. Cars weaved in and out of the roads. Students participating in the famed college tradition, Thirsty Thursday, were stumbling on the sidewalks.

Clint was going to meet them at the parking garage he had told them to park in so he could hand them the overnight parking pass he got them to park in the garage for the weekend. Clint lived on the west side of campus in Jordan Hall and the parking garage he had directed them to park in was still a ways away from his dorm.

They turned onto the road the parking garage was located on and Natasha immediately spotted Clint standing on the corner. She rolled down the window as Peggy brought the car to a halt in front of Clint.

"So, how much to take you home with me and let me have my way with you?" Natasha teased, leaning out the car window.

"You couldn't afford me even if you tried," Clint joked, and he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"That's it?" she asked, desperately wanting more.

"We have the whole weekend," Clint said.

He walked beside the car – Natasha practically hanging half way out the window – to direct them towards the parking garage. When they reached it, he handed Natasha the parking pass to give to Peggy and they pulled into the structure, immediately finding a parking spot on the first level.

When Peggy's car was put in park and she cut the engine, Natasha hastily grabbed her bag and stumbled out of the car to meet Clint back outside. She must have looked crazy stumbling out of the parking garage with an enormous duffle bag hanging off of her shoulder. Either that or she looked like she was drunk from Thirsty Thursday.

She spotted Clint a couple feet away from the entrance and she closed the distance, dropping her bag on the ground before jumping up and wrapping both her arms and legs around him. If he wasn't going to instigate the most passionate kiss they'd ever experienced, then she was.

She didn't care if they had an audience. They were finally reunited, even if it was only for the weekend. She grabbed his face in his hands and crushed her lips against his. She felt his grip on her tighten and she kissed him harder, her hands traveling down to caress his neck.

"Hey, get a room!" Natasha heard Jane yell from behind her. She pulled away from Clint and turned her head so that she could see Jane.

"You should talk. You and Thor practically dry hump in public," Natasha said.

She watched as Jane's cheeks turned red, and Natasha apologized for embarrassing her. Clint gently placed Natasha on the ground and laced his fingers through hers. He beckoned for Peggy and Jane to follow them, and they caught up with them, falling into step alongside them

As they walked to Clint's dorm, the group talked about how school was going. Peggy and Jane weren't pleased with their schedules this year. They practically had every class with Natasha, but they didn't like the course material one bit. However, Jane was happy that they had physics with Dr. Selvig.

"Honestly, he's a fantastic teacher. Brilliant, but I don't understand why he doesn't teach at a university," Jane mused.

Clint said that his first week of college was an eye-opener. It was nothing like high school. It was fast paced, but he wasn't quite sure how he was doing so well. Either his teachers liked him, the material was easier than expected, or a combination of the two.

"You're just really smart," Natasha said, wrapping her arms around his bicep and resting her head on his shoulder.

Clint also said the parties were intense. Penn State parties were outrageous, and the police almost always showed up at one point to kick the students out.

When they reached Clint's dorm, he signed them in and then led them up the stairs to his room on the second floor. As they walked down the hall, several girls dressed up for Thirsty Thursday flirtatiously said hello to Clint as they headed out. Clint felt Natasha's grip on his arm tighten with every hello he received from the female residents of Jordan Hall.

"Calm down," Clint muttered just loud enough for Natasha to hear.

Clint's room wasn't very impressive, but then again, dorm rooms weren't impressive in general. Without his mom around to clean up after him, Clint's room was in disarray, and Natasha was sure that it wasn't all his roommate's doing.

"Umm, yeah, I should've cleaned up before you guys came," Clint said rubbing the back of his head.

"It's okay," Peggy said from behind them. "I've seen worse. And by worse, I mean Steve's bedroom at home."

Clint walked further into the room, and collapsed on top of his bed. He reached a hand out to Natasha to signal for her to join him. She dropped her bag on the floor and crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed. Clint immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back onto the bed.

"Did Thor say when he'd be here tomorrow?" Clint asked Jane.

"He said his last class is over at one, and then he's taking the 4:40 Megabus," Jane said, taking a seat at Clint's desk chair.

"And when's the game, Clint?" Peggy asked.

"Saturday at noon. Then Dave Matthews Band plays Sunday night at seven in the stadium too," Clint answered.

"So, what are we supposed to do between now and noon on Saturday?" Natasha asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Clint asked, sitting up. "We're at Penn State, one of the biggest party schools in the country."

"We party, Natasha," Peggy said. "The night is young. How about we hit the town and participate in Thirsty Thursday?"

Peggy started to root through her bag and pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a black sequined top.

"Bathroom?" Peggy asked Clint.

"Turn right when you leave the room and it's at the end of the hall," Clint said, pointing to the door.

Jane tossed Natasha her bag and both of the girls searched through their bags for an outfit to change into. Natasha had never been to a college party, and she was sure Harry Osborn's New Year's Eve party didn't count. Therefore, she had no idea how to dress for a college party. She'd brought plenty of clothes to choose from but there was no way she could choose.

"What the hell do you wear to a college party?" she said, still searching through her bag. She pulled out a dark red shirt, examined it, then tossed it back in.

Jane shrugged. "That blue shirt you have in your hand is cute. Wear that," Jane said, and then exited the room to join Peggy in the bathroom.

Natasha shrugged. She assumed the blue shirt would have to suffice. She shoved her bag off of her lap and stood up. She crossed the room to close the door and then pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her only in her bra and jeans. Clint tossed her the blue shirt from his bed and she pulled it on. She ran her fingers through her red curls and then pulled the door back open so Peggy and Jane would be able to find the room.

When Peggy and Jane returned to the room several minutes later, they looked like they were ready to hit a club. Clint grabbed his keys, school ID, and phone and they were ready to go.

The campus was alive with students stumbling around drunkenly. The girls were giggling and the boys were shouting at the tops of their lungs. Off in the distance, there was the distinct thump of a bass from a house party.

Clint checked his phone and told Peggy, Jane, and Natasha that the party to be at on Thirsty Thursday was at Beta Sigma Beta, a fraternity just on the edge of campus. Clint had never been there by himself, and, in all honesty, he had no idea how to get there without a group of people. It wasn't hard to find it though, seeing as practically half of the campus was headed in that direction.

They reached the steps to the fraternity and they paid their way in. Clint and Natasha lost Peggy and Jane as soon as they entered the frat house, so they made their way to the bar. The girl tending bar waved at Clint as he approached and Natasha grew uneasy again.

"Hey Janet," Clint said as he leaned up against the bar.

"Hey Clint," the girl named Janet said as she grabbed a bottle of Smirnoff and poured it into a shot glass. "Who's this?" she asked, nodding towards Natasha.

"This is Natasha, my girlfriend," Clint said.

"Oh my God, you're Natasha!" Janet exclaimed. "Clint talks about you all the time like a love sick puppy dog. It's even worse when he gets drunk."

Natasha laughed, and then she turned to Clint. "You talk about me _all the time_?"

"What can I say? You're my weakness," Clint said shrugging his shoulders.

"What do you guys want? It's on the house. Shots usually cost extra, but the frat boys are too drunk to pay attention so I'm sure I can get away with giving you guys a few free ones," Janet said.

"Vodka," Natasha said immediately.

"Does the brand matter? We have Smirnoff, Pinnacle, Absolut…" Janet trailed off.

"Doesn't matter," Natasha said, shaking her head.

Natasha watched Janet poured the clear liquid into a shot glass and then slide it across the bar to Natasha. Clint asked for a shot of tequila and Janet poured him the shot. Natasha downed the shot and felt the liquid sting her throat as it slid down. She'd forgotten how much it stung, but how good it felt.

Natasha asked for another, and then another. Before she knew it she lost count. It wasn't just vodka either. She tried Jack Daniels, tequila, rum, and even beer. She wasn't sure how much she had had to drink, but the last thing she remembered was Clint scooping her up in his arms and taking outside before she completely blacked out.

* * *

When Natasha woke up the next morning, it felt like someone was taking a jack hammer to her head. She shoved a pillow on top of her head to keep out any light that was coming in through the window. A couple minutes later, she heard a high-pitched shrill laugh come from the hallway and she groaned at the annoying sound.

She rolled over onto her side and stretched her arm out, feeling emptiness. She slowly sat up and found herself alone in Clint's dorm room. There was a mess of blankets and pillows on the floor – most likely where Peggy and Jane slept last night – and clothes were strewn across the room.

The door creaked open and Clint walked in with two cups of coffee, one in each hand.

"Morning drunky," Clint said with a chuckle.

"Shhhh!" Natasha hissed. "Everything's amplified so just…don't talk."

Clint chuckled again and handed her the cup of coffee. She took it graciously and rested her back against the wall. Clint climbed onto the bed and sat down next to Natasha. She took a sip of coffee and felt the hot liquid travel down her throat. She moaned with delight and then rested her head on Clint's shoulder.

"If we go to anymore parties this weekend, cut me off after the fifth shot," Natasha said, closing her eyes.

"Why the fifth shot?" Clint asked.

"I lost count after the fifth shot," Natasha said, taking another sip of coffee.

Clint wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I'm the one in college. _You_ should be keeping track of how much _I_ drink," Clint muttered.

"Shut up," Natasha snapped and took another sip of coffee. Natasha glanced around Clint's room. She never really noticed it yesterday, so she didn't really notice all the pictures he had of the two of them. He had the pictures of prom taped to his closet door, and the pictures from after graduation clustered around the mirror on the wall. However, the one picture that caught her eye was an older picture, a picture of the two of them before Clint went off to the eighth grade farewell dance with Bobbi.

"That one's my favorite," Clint said, nodding towards the picture when he saw her notice it.

"Why is _that one_ your favorite?" she asked.

"Because that's the day I realized I was in love with my best friend," Clint said and turned his head to face her and flashed her small smile. He leaned in to kiss her but Natasha pulled back. He looked at her in confusion.

"Do you really want to kiss me after last night? I probably still reek of alcohol, and I probably threw up a lot and didn't brush my teeth afterwards," Natasha said.

"Actually, you can really hold your liquor, but I'm going to kiss you anyways," he said and leaned in and kissed her full on the lips. His hand reached up to touch the side of her face and she rested her hand on his forearm. When he pulled away, she leaned forward to let him know that she wanted more but he just chuckled.

"Cool it," he ordered. "It's only Friday. We still have until Monday."

"Fine," she said, relaxing back against the wall. "So what are we doing today?"

"I don't know," Clint said. "Peggy and Jane are out exploring the campus so they could be anywhere. My roommate went home for the weekend already. Thor should be here later tonight."

"So it's just us right now?" Natasha said arching one of her eyebrows.

"What's with that mischievous look in your eye?" Clint asked.

"We're alone in your dorm room. No friends, no family…" she trailed off.

"You're so bad," Clint said but jumped off the bed and slammed the door shut and locked it before jumping back on the bed and attacking Natasha's lips with his.

* * *

After Natasha and Clint had a moment to themselves, they got dressed and went outside to find Peggy and Jane. They had a whole day to themselves but Penn State was a big campus, and there was tons of stuff to do.

They found Peggy and Jane by the famed Nittany Lion statue and then they decided they wanted to go to the Penn State University Creamery, the largest university creamery in the country. When they got there, the creamery was packed and it was difficult to choose what kind of ice cream they wanted since there were over 100 flavors to choose from. There were the normal flavors such as vanilla and chocolate to the unusual flavors such as Autumn Delight and Happy Happy Joy Joy.

They spent most of their day in the cool air-conditioned creamery eating ice cream and joking around. When 4:00 rolled around, they headed outside to explore the campus some more. After they had finished exploring the campus, they returned to Clint's dorm and got ready to pick up Thor from the Megabus station.

When Thor's bus arrived and he stepped off, Jane squealed and ran towards him to close the space between them.

"Well, I guess I'm the odd one out this weekend," Peggy whined, folding her arms across her chest.

"Aw, no," Natasha said. "We wouldn't do that to you."

They headed back to campus and then got ready to hit the frat houses again.

* * *

The campus was buzzing with excitement Saturday morning as the first game of the season drew nearer. Everyone in Clint's dorm room woke up groggily, the symptoms from partying too hard last night clearly taking effect. When they got up, they trudged down the hall to their respective bathrooms and then returned to Clint's room to get ready for the game.

Half of the students on Clint's floor were already down at Beaver Stadium, pre-gaming, but Clint, Natasha, Peggy, Jane, and Thor felt like they had experienced their pre-gaming last night so they took their time getting to the stadium.

When they were ready, they went downstairs and stepped out into the bright morning sunshine. Crowds of students and Penn State fans were flocking towards Beaver Stadium, so the group joined the crowd and followed them to the stadium.

Clint had managed to get them tickets for the student section so they entered through the gate for students and made their way to the student section to find their seats. The stadium was roaring with cheers in a sea of blue and white. Penn State students had already started doing the wave and Clint, Natasha, Peggy, Jane, and Thor joined in.

The game started shortly after noon and the crowd roared with excitement. Throughout the game, Penn State students started the wave multiple times and instigated the famed "We are…Penn State!" chant.

Tackle after tackle, interception after interception, the game came to a close with the Nittany Lions winning and the game attendees exited the stadium. Clint, Natasha, Peggy, Jane, and Thor returned to Clint's dorm room to prepare for another round of hard partying.

* * *

As Natasha got ready for the Dave Matthews Band concert in the bathroom down the hall from Clint's room, she realized she didn't want this weekend to end. It flew by, and she would be leaving to return home tomorrow morning. Clint could tell her a million times that he would do everything to see her at least once a week, but even Natasha knew that would get exhausting since it was nearly a three hour drive each way.

She packed up her makeup bag and walked back down the hall to Clint's room. Peggy and Jane were still finishing up in the bathroom, and Thor was off getting coffee somewhere on campus so Clint was alone in his room, lying on his bed. She tossed her makeup bag on top of her duffle bag and crawled on top of Clint, resting her head against his chest.

"I don't want to go back home," Natasha mumbled.

"I don't want you to go back either, but you have to if you want to graduate," he said.

Natasha shrugged but didn't say anything.

"If you graduate, then maybe you can go to school here and live with me," Clint said, running his fingers through her red curls.

"Oh come on, can you really see me going to school here?" Natasha protested.

"As long as I'm here I think you'd fit in perfectly," Clint said.

They laid together in silence for a couple more minutes until Peggy and Jane walked in. Natasha quickly scrambled off of Clint and sat on the edge of the bed. When everyone had grabbed their belongings – cash, IDs, purses, and phones – they headed over to Beaver Stadium so they could get a spot with a good view in general admission.

They were fairly early so they managed to get a good spot several feet back from the stage. No one ever paid attention to the opening act, no matter how good they were, but Thor seemed to be really into it for some reason.

After a half hour of stage time, the opening act walked off and the crew began to switch around the instruments from the opening act's to Dave Matthews Band's. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink and red.

Around 8:30, Dave Matthews Band walked on stage and opened the concert with "Dreamgirl." Immediately, Natasha felt Clint's arms wrap around her waist. It was hard to believe that in less than 24 hours, she'd be home without Clint. She'd be without his arms around her. She'd be without his lips on hers. There was no telling when she'd see him again.

Once the band finished up with "Dreamgirl," they quickly segued into "American Baby." The set list was perfect so far, but if they continued playing songs that practically summed up her and Clint's relationship, she was going to break down and cry. Despite "Dreamgirl" and "American Baby" being two of her favorite songs by Dave Matthews Band, they tugged at her heart strings. She didn't want to leave Happy Valley tomorrow.

Her emotions got a break when the band decided to play "Alligator Pie." It was upbeat and it was a song that somehow reminded Natasha of summer in general. Natasha wasn't in the clear yet, because after "Alligator Pie," they played "You and Me."

Love song after love song, Natasha was becoming to grow irritated. Dave Matthews Band was one of her favorite bands, and she knew they had other songs that _weren't_ love songs. She wanted to know why they weren't playing those songs.

By the time they'd gotten to "The Space Between," she needed air. She broke free from Clint's grasp and pushed her way through the crowd. She glanced over her shoulder, and sure enough, Clint was right behind her.

When she broke free of the crowd, she kept walking until she was out by the food vendors. That's when she stopped to catch her breath. She could still hear the band singing "The Space Between." Getting away from the loudness made it better but the love songs tore at her heart still.

"Nat, are you okay?" Clint said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Natasha took a deep breath and turned around to face Clint. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Bullshit," Clint said. "Tell me."

"I don't want to go back home," she blurted out. "I know I said it before but after spending the entire weekend with you, I don't want to go back. It's absolutely cruel to be with you again only to have it taken away again. I have no idea when I'll see y - ."

Clint's lips crushed Natasha's, cutting her off in mid-sentence. He broke away from the kiss, but brought his hands up to cup her face.

"I told you we will make this work," Clint muttered. "You really need to stop worrying so much. Do you understand me?"

Natasha nodded.

"If for some reason I can't come home one weekend, or you can't come here, we'll Skype. We do live in the 21st century," he said, and Natasha let out a small laugh.

"If it makes you feel any better, we'll do it every day," Clint said.

"I would love that, but you have schoolwork to do, and I do too. Plus I have work, and I'm not so sure that seeing you on a computer screen is going to be the same," Natasha said.

"No, it will never be the same, but at least you get to see me," Clint said.

Natasha shrugged. "I suppose," she mumbled.

"Okay, are we all good now?" Clint asked and Natasha shook her head. "Well, too bad, because we're going back in. If I miss them play 'Dancing Nancies,' I'm going to kick your ass."

Natasha giggled. Clint took her by the hand and dragged her back into the stadium so they could rejoin their friends.

When Natasha's alarm on her phone went off at 8:30 the next morning, she wasn't ready to get up. Normally when any alarm clock went off, she was never ready to get out of bed, but today, it was because she wasn't ready to go home.

Clint gently elbowed her in the ribs and she rolled over to see him smiling at her.

"You have to get up," he ordered. She groaned and pushed him out of the bed onto the floor.

Natasha, Peggy, and Jane all got ready in the bathroom down the hall in a haze. Peggy and Jane weren't ready to go home either. They'd had too much fun this past weekend and they didn't want it to end.

Natasha wasn't ready to say goodbye to Clint again. Saying goodbye once was hard enough, but twice was possibly going to rip her heart out of her chest. She shoved her belongings into her bag angrily as Clint watched her from his bed.

"You need to calm down," Clint said.

She mumbled something under her breath in Russian. She didn't use Russian very often, but when she did, she usually mumbled it to herself.

When Peggy and Jane were finished in the bathroom, they returned to Clint's room to pack their things, and when was all said and done, they were ready to go. Natasha dragged her feet as they walked to the parking garage where Peggy's car was parked. They walked into the parking garage and loaded their bags into the car. Peggy and Jane sat up front and waited for Natasha, who was waiting outside the car with Clint.

"Stop looking so depressed. I don't like it," Clint said.

"It doesn't really help when I'm leaving the person that makes me happy," Natasha said with a shrug.

"Stop," he said taking her face in his hands. "Why don't you try having fun with other people for a change?'

"I have fun with Peggy and Jane," she said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, okay," Clint said. "Then the next time I talk to you, I want to hear some interesting stories. I don't want to hear about how depressed you are that I'm not there."

"I'm not depressed. I'm just sad."

"Yeah whatever," Clint said. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Natasha nodded and then Clint leaned in to kiss her one last time for knows how long again. He opened the car door for her and she slid in. He slammed the door closed and backed away from the car so Peggy could pull out.

As they pulled out of the parking garage, Natasha rolled down the window and leaned out just a little bit. She still had sight of Clint so she offered up a weak wave before they pulled out of the garage and she lost sight of him completely.

* * *

**By the way, please check out Dave Matthews Band if you haven't already. I went to see them live a week ago and they still continue to amaze me. **

**Also, I posted a Clintasha one-shot yesterday called "One More Night." If you guys would like to, check it out. No pressure. For those of you that did read it, maybe I'll do a sequel when this story's finished. Not sure yet.**

**As always, thanks for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Therefore, review away! Let me know what you think of the shenanigans in Happy Valley (what Penn State University Park is sometimes called. The town is called State College. Just thought I should clear that up haha.)**


	28. Love on the Rocks

**No snarky author's notes before this chapter either haha. Here is chapter 28!**

* * *

Natasha had to adjust to Clint's absence all over again, but it was easier this time around since she'd already went through it once before. As the school week went by, Natasha became busier with homework and work. Throw in college research and applications and Natasha was usually way too busy. To say the least, she usually only had time for a five minute phone call with Clint each night.

Clint didn't come home the weekend following Labor Day. It wasn't as if he had plans to anyways, so Natasha wasn't disappointed all that much, but she was still upset that she wouldn't get to see him. However, it was convenient for Natasha. She planned on spending the entire weekend researching colleges with Peggy, Jane, and Bruce.

For as long as Natasha had known Bruce, they'd never been considered friends, but with all the classes they had together, they were becoming fast friends. They were lab partners in Selvig's class and Natasha tutored Bruce in French. Bruce ate lunch with Peggy, Jane, and Natasha, and they had sometimes invited Bruce to study with them after school.

During the third week of September, Clint told Natasha that he would be coming home to visit that weekend. Natasha was ecstatic, and she wanted him to be around while she was making her college decisions. As much as she didn't want to apply to Penn State, she figured she would do it anyways for Clint, but she still wanted him to know that she was interested in other places.

Natasha had different interests in colleges than Clint did. Putting Penn State aside, she was interested in a lot of private colleges and universities, some of them even Ivy Leagues. New York University was at the top of her list and the thought of being even further away from Clint next year – if she were to get accepted – made her sad. She complained so much about being three hours away from him while she was home; it would seem illogical for her to be okay with being at NYU, nearly four hours away from Clint.

Natasha spoke to her boss at Sweet Creams to check that it was okay to switch some shifts around so she could spend more time with Clint when he came home. Natasha never really asked for much, and she was one of the better waitresses on the staff, so her boss obliged and scheduled Natasha only for Friday night. Clint would be traveling for the most part of Friday night so it worked.

She didn't expect to see Clint walking through the front door of Sweet Creams that night. She had been walking out into the dining area with a handful of entrees she was delivering to one of her tables when she spotted him out of the corner of her eye. When she did, she nearly dropped the plates she was holding. But having sharp reflexes, she kept a good grasp on the plates, steadied herself, and continued to walk to the table to deliver their food.

Once she delivered the food to her tables and checked on the others, she walked over to Clint and gave him a nervous "hi." He smiled, then kissed her on the cheek and then on the lips. Her legs almost gave way and Clint steadied her. When they pulled away, Natasha realized that it wasn't the fact that she missed Clint, she just wanted him home. It was the only way that everything could feel right and complete again.

* * *

It was Saturday night and Clint and Natasha were sitting on Natasha's living room couch. Natasha's legs were draped over Clint's lap. Clint's English textbook was propped up against Natasha's legs and Natasha had her laptop on her lap. Every so often, Clint's fingers would brush up against Natasha's soft legs; she had shaved earlier that day and he liked the feeling.

"What about UCLA?" Natasha said. She tapped her pencil against her lips as she scrolled up and down the UCLA homepage.

"UCLA?" Clint asked. "Isn't that in, well, L.A.?"

"Yeah," Natasha said nonchalantly.

"How would we see each other?"

"Oh there's no possibility of me going there anyways. It's just an option I'm toying around with," she said.

"Nat, umm, I've got to ask you something," Clint said, closing his English textbook.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Natasha said, not taking her eyes off of her laptop screen.

"Could you look at me?" Clint asked.

Natasha looked up and Clint immediately saw her beautiful green eyes. He almost forgot what he was going to ask her.

"Umm, okay. I just wanted to know your logic in picking out these schools," Clint said nervously.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The last thing Clint wanted to do was ask this. He was sure it was going to set her off.

"Well, umm," he hesitated. "I kind of picked out schools that were mostly within the state, with the exception of Boston University and Montclair, but you're picking schools that are all over the place."

"Yeah? So?" she asked.

"Umm, I chose Penn State…because of you," Clint said. "I chose it to be relatively close but still a decent distance away from home."

Natasha nodded and Clint continued.

"Are you thinking at all about me when you make these decisions?" Clint asked uneasily. He wasn't sure how she was going to take that.

"Of course I'm thinking about you," she said.

"So then, once again, how are we going to see each other? You have two schools in this state on your list and they are Penn State and University of Pennsylvania. All of the others are…elsewhere," Clint said.

"Okay," Natasha said, "but you constantly tell me that we'll make it work so I'm sure we can make it work next year too."

"I tell you that because you just kind of have major freak outs," Clint said. As soon as the word left his mouth, he regretted it. He could just see the anger in her eyes.

"Freak outs?" she said, gritting her teeth.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Clint blurted out quickly, hoping to avoid major confrontation. "I just meant that you get nervous that we won't see each other. It's almost clingy."

_Oh shit_, he thought. _She's going to kill me. I just called her clingy._

He watched as she reduced her eyes to slits and stared him down. If looks could kill, Clint would probably be dead right now.

"Did you just call me clingy?" Natasha asked icily.

"Nope," Clint said nervously. _Maybe if I deny it, she'll think it never happened_, he thought.

"How the hell can I be clingy when you're away at college?" Natasha asked incredulously.

"W-well, when you're…when you're around me, you never want to leave," Clint stammered.

"Well, yeah," she said, practically emphasizing the "duh" behind her statement.

Clint swallowed nervously. He'd really dug himself into a hole and he wasn't really sure how to get out of it. He might as well have been digging his own grave with the way Natasha was currently looking at him.

"J-just, umm, never mind," Clint said, reopening his English textbook and keeping his eyes trained on the page.

"No Clint, let's talk about how I'm clingy apparently," Natasha said, slamming her laptop shut and setting it on the coffee table. She folded her arms across her chest and continued to stare down Clint.

"No Tasha, you're not clingy. You're just dealing with this distance thing differently than other people would I guess," Clint said, his eyes still focused on his English textbook.

"You don't understand why I feel the way I do," Natasha mumbled.

Clint looked up from his textbook and gave her a confused look.

"All my life, including now, my parents neglected me. Even now my dad's never home because he's too busy hanging out with Mr. Osborn. I have trust issues because my parents' marriage was built on lies. My mother cheated the entire time and neither one of them chose to tell me. Sure, you don't tell a six-year-old 'Hey, Mom's fooling around with some guy. Want to go get some ice cream to make you feel better about it?' but they still should've told me at some point.

"But then you came along. You're the only one who I trusted. You're the only one who actually genuinely liked me, but for you to tell me that I'm _clingy_ makes me feel like total shit.

"So, I'm sorry I'm dependant on you because I have no one else to depend on."

She finished her spiel and got up from the couch, grabbing her laptop from the coffee table, and headed out of the room.

"Nat, where are you going?" Clint said.

"To my room. You can show yourself out," she called over her shoulder. A couple seconds later, he heard her door slam. Clint groaned and buried his face in his hands. He shoved his textbook into his backpack and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Even though she told him to show himself out, he wasn't going to just leave. He walked across the room and into the hallway, stopping at the first door on the left.

"Tasha, umm, I'm going to leave," he said.

No answer.

"I'll…I'll call you when I get home?"

No answer. Clint sighed and made his way out of the house. Of all the times for her to get mad at him and for them to get in a fight, it had to be one of the weekends he came home to visit.

As he mulled over the argument as he drove home, he felt guilty. Clingy probably wasn't the smartest word choice but he couldn't take it back now. Apparently it had stung a bit when he called her clingy, but he hoped she would forgive him. Now that he thought about it, he didn't mean it. He just wished she would believe him when he told her he would make their relationship work long distance.

However, Clint was equally hurt that she wasn't going to try to make the long distance relationship work. Clint had made his college decision based on Natasha. She wasn't completely the reason, but she was certainly a factor. Clint had ultimately made his decision based on the fact that Penn State was a great school and it was exciting to attend, but the fact that it was a reasonable distance away from home was also a factor. That meant coming home wouldn't be a problem and he wasn't too far away from Natasha.

Now that she was making her college decisions, he was hurt that she was choosing schools all across the country. It seemed as if she wasn't taking their relationship into any sort of account. Clint had done so, so why wasn't she?

Mrs. Barton gave Clint a strange look when he walked through the door earlier than expected. He trudged up the stairs without a word to either one of his parents and made his way to his room. He pulled his backpack from his back and dropped it on the floor. He flopped down onto his bed and whipped out his phone from his back pocket. Searching through his contacts, he found Natasha's name and tapped the screen to call her.

Her phone rang several times before going to voicemail and Clint groaned out of frustration. When the automated message told him to leave a message, he did.

"Tasha, _please_ call me. I'm sorry for what I said. I don't want to go back to school tomorrow without fixing this," he said. He paused, thinking of what else to say, then added, "I love you" and hung up.

* * *

Clint woke the next morning to the sound of his phone ringing. He groggily searched for it in his bed until he found it buried in between the sheets. The screen flashed Natasha's name and he hastily answered it.

"Tasha, hey," he said, rubbing one of his eyes, sitting bolt upright in bed.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Natasha said softly from the other end.

"No, no," he said. "I had to get up soon to get ready to leave later anyways."

"Oh," was all she said.

"So you got my message last night?" Clint asked eagerly.

"Yeah," she said. "I probably shouldn't have reacted that way."

"I probably shouldn't have said that. You're not clingy," Clint said.

Natasha let out a small laugh. "If you think about it, I am, kind of."

"No you're not," Clint said. They stayed on the phone in silence for a couple of minutes, the sound of their breathing only coming through the line.

"I probably should reevaluate my college list shouldn't I?" Natasha said, almost as if she was defeated.

"No, Nat. No," Clint said. Clint had to admit that he had overreacted a bit over Natasha's college list. If she wanted to study at Richmond in the United Kingdom, or UCLA, or Penn State, that's not his decision. The fact that she didn't think about him at all was what really hurt him.

"Apply where you want. Wherever you go, I'll support you and I'll do everything I can to visit you," Clint said.

"I don't want you to feel obligated," she said.

"Nat, I'm your boyfriend," he pointed out. "It's not an obligation, it's a choice."

"Okay," she said just above a whisper.

They sat in silence for a couple more minutes until Natasha spoke up.

"Clint, you don't have to come home next weekend," Natasha said. Last night, before their argument, Clint had thrown around the idea of coming home again next weekend. At the time, Natasha had been excited that she would see him again but now, she wasn't so sure.

"Tasha, I do. I want to come home," Clint protested.

"I just think you should stay at Penn State and only come home for your breaks," she said.

"No! That's ridiculous! Why would you say that?" he asked in confusion.

"I started thinking, last night after the fight, that I've been holding you back," she started but Clint interrupted.

"Why would you think that, Tasha? That's stupid."

"I have. I have been holding you back. How about next year when I'm off at college? I'll just hold you back even more if you have to keep visiting me," she said.

_What the hell is she talking about?_ Clint thought to himself.

"I just think that, maybe, we should…stop this," she said, her voice cracking.

"What are you saying Nat?" Clint asked forcefully.

"I think…" she trailed off, and he could hear her heave a sob. "I think we should break up."

It took several seconds, or maybe even minutes, until Clint was able to process what she said. When he did, he was speechless.

"I don't want to lose you," she said, her voice shaking. "If we keep this going, I feel like I will. Right now, I just feel like I want my best friend back."

"I'm still here! Your best friend is still here! We don't have to end this Natasha!" Clint exclaimed.

"I think we do," she said, her voice still shaking.

"No, please," he begged. "I'm going to come over before I leave for school and we're going to fix this."

"It's fixed," she mumbled.

"Natasha, no! Come on!" he pleaded.

"You can still call me if you want," she said, "but I think you should stay at school and focus on your studies. Study really hard and get good grades."

"Natasha, stop! This has to stop!" he practically yelled into the phone. "We _are not _breaking up!"

He could hear her on the other end of the line trying to choke back the sobs that were trying to escape her chest but she was failing miserably at it.

"Listen to yourself Nat. Do you hear what this is doing to you?" Clint demanded. He had to keep his composure for her. If he broke down and let her know how much this was hurting him, it would break her beyond repair.

"We _are not_ breaking up," he repeated through clenched teeth.

"Clint, we are," she said. "If it doesn't work, then I'll still be here, waiting."

Clint let out a breath. She wasn't going to give up.

"You're still my best friend. Nothing will change that," she muttered.

He wasn't going to lose her completely but it still hurt like hell.

"Yeah, best friend," he agreed. "I guess I'll see you when I see you then."

"Yeah," she said, her voice shaking again.

"You wouldn't mind if I told you one last time…" he trailed off. When he got silence, he decided that he was going to say it anyways.

"I love you Natasha Alianovna Romanoff," Clint said, his voice cracking.

"I love you too, Clint Francis Barton," she said. He could hear her full-blown crying right now and it took every ounce of restraint in his body to not break down with her.

When he heard the line go dead, he felt his whole body go numb. He didn't move. Hell, he wondered if he'd even blinked. He stayed like that until his mother came up to his bedroom to tell him he had to get ready for the trip back to State College.

He didn't want to go back. He wanted to be as close to Natasha as possible, but he rolled out of bed anyways and packed his belongings up in a haze.

* * *

When Natasha hung up the phone, she couldn't contain the sobs and the tears that she had bottled up on the phone. She'd just made the worst decision of her life, and she wished she could take it back, but she had to stand her ground.

She knew that she was going to put Clint through hell by doing this to him, and she was going through hell herself, but she needed to know if he would move on without her. That was the only way she would know if she would be holding him back. If he did, it would make it that much easier for her to make a decision for college.

It was true. She had been clingy. She had been selfish. Therefore, she had to let him go. As much as it pained her, she had to do it. She knew the recovery wouldn't be easy. It was never easy, at least that's what she learned from movies and TV shows. They'd given so much to each other and they knew so much about each other. It was almost as if they were losing a part of themselves.

Natasha stayed on the floor of her bedroom – with her back resting against her bed and her knees curled up to her chest – for the rest of the day until her father came home. He found her as a complete emotional wreck, lying on the floor of her bedroom. He didn't ask questions, he just picked her up and placed her in her bed, pulling the covers over her.

He reminded himself that he would have to call the school in the morning to inform them that Natasha was in no condition to make it to school.

* * *

**Please don't hate me! Please don't hate me! Please don't hate me! I felt like this needed to happen but I _ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY PROMISE_ that there will be a happy ending, and things will be fixed in the next chapter. My promise was written in italics, bold, and all caps, so you have to trust me on this. I already have the majority of the next chapter written, but I'm gonna make you guys squirm a bit; I'm not going to post it until I get off of work tomorrow at 4. Muahahahahaha!**

**By the way, when I wrote the final "I love yous," I actually teared up so if you guys don't, you're heartless.**

**So, once again, please don't hate me. Please trust me on this. I had to happen. Anyways, as always, thank you for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Please let me know if you guys are still alive. If you're not, then you won't be able to read the next chapter! What a shame. Anyways, please review, and just trust me on this. I promise it will be fixed in the next chapter.**


	29. Punch Drunk Love

**Okay everyone, you can breathe easier now. Sort of. Here is chapter 29.**

* * *

_Time heals all wounds_, Natasha thought. _Or at least that's what they say in movies and TV shows._

The first week following the break-up had absolutely killed Natasha. Though her father had called in sick for her for that Monday, he wouldn't let her stay home any other days. She needed to attend school if she wanted to graduate.

She said absolutely nothing to Peggy, Jane, and Bruce, and she walked around like a zombie. Peggy, Jane, and Bruce could tell something was up, but they didn't dare ask for fear that something bad might become of it.

Natasha didn't do much that first week. She woke up, went to school, and came home. She had called off of work that week because she didn't want to be around people. She did her homework. She cooked herself dinner. She would take a shower, and then she'd go to bed. Then the whole cycle would start up again in the morning.

By the beginning of the second week following the break-up, she realized that what she was doing was unhealthy. She had become a shell of her former self, and she refused to act like that ridiculous Bella Swan chick from _Twilight_.

On the Monday of the second week after the break-up, Natasha began to talk to Peggy, Jane, and Bruce again. They had been really concerned for her the week before, and all Natasha would tell them was that she and Clint had broken up. She mentioned that she didn't want to go into detail and that she didn't want to talk about it, and with that, they dropped the subject.

Natasha immersed herself in more activities to stay occupied. As if her schoolwork wasn't enough, she picked up extra shifts at Sweet Creams, started going to the gym, and started to learn how to drive. Her dad had taken her to get her permit so that she could start learning to drive. When she turned 18 in November, she would be able to take her driving test immediately.

Mr. Romanoff had told Natasha he would let her use her mother's old car, the one he had gotten possession of in the divorce. The black Nissan Altima just sat in the driveway anyways. Mr. Romanoff rarely drove it because it reminded him too much of his ex-wife.

In the middle of October, Natasha was nominated for Homecoming Queen. She was wondering if it still had to do with her popularity after the Powderpuff game from last year. She was flattered that her classmates still thought highly of her, but she had no desire to win Homecoming Queen.

However, Natasha did win Homecoming Queen. She was shocked, and honestly didn't expect it. What she also didn't expect was for Bruce to be crowned Homecoming King. Bruce normally kept to himself, and he had a few friends but none that he would consider close. Apparently the entire school thought highly of him as well and he and Natasha were crowned Homecoming King and Queen.

At the end of October, Natasha scheduled an appointment for her driver's test to take place about a week after her 18th birthday. She was extremely nervous because she really wanted to pass the test and be granted her freedom. She wouldn't have to depend on others for rides to work or to school.

The day of Natasha's 18th birthday, Mr. Romanoff woke her up bright and early. Natasha wasn't pleased with being woken up so early and she was certainly surprised to see her father home. On a weekend nonetheless. As he ushered her out of bed, he wrapped a blindfold around her eyes and led her outside.

What came next, Natasha was not expecting. Her father pulled the blindfold off of her to show her the shiny midnight blue Camaro sitting in the driveway. Natasha was speechless, and she wasn't sure if it was okay to celebrate or not. Of all the cars he decided to get her, he got her a Camaro, a car she would be devastated over if she somehow wrecked it. Natasha assumed that this was Mr. Osborn's doing, but Mr. Romanoff shot that thought down. He admitted to planning this ever since he got custody of her and got the job at OSCORP. Mr. Romanoff said that she didn't deserve her mother's car and she deserved her own. Suddenly, Natasha couldn't wait to get her license in a week.

As nervous as she was, she passed her driver's test with flying colors. She almost made a major mistake with the parallel parking but she fixed her mistake immediately and hoped the instructor didn't notice. Apparently she didn't since Natasha passed and was granted the ability to be unleashed on the roads by herself.

In November, Natasha had signed up for the Powderpuff football team again in response to the encouragement from many of her classmates. Natasha hadn't planned on doing it because it would remind her too much of a certain someone, but she found that she didn't want to let her classmates down. Many of them said that they feared they wouldn't garner another victory without her so she signed up, and fortunately, led the senior class to a victory over the junior class.

Natasha was doing just fine. Everything was somewhat normal. The big gaping hole in her heart still hurt, but that's why she kept herself busy, to distract herself from the pain.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving break when she'd seen him for the first time since that weekend when he came home. It was only briefly, and she wasn't even sure if he had seen her. She had been driving to work, and the only route to work required her to pass by his house. She'd passed by and she caught a glimpse of him getting into his car. His back was turned towards the road, so there was probably no chance that he saw her, but deep down, she'd hoped he did.

She pushed that thought out of her head so she wouldn't reopen that wound. She didn't see him at all for the rest of the Thanksgiving break, and she didn't expect to. She had hurt him, and she had hurt herself in the process, so there was no way either one of them was ready to talk.

November melted into December and the temperatures in the daytime began to drop significantly as the days grew closer to Christmas. The town had received their first snowfall of the season in mid-December and the students were granted a snow day. As much as Natasha enjoyed the day off since it let her get the remainder of her college applications done, she didn't like the thought of having to go to school an extra day in the summer, therefore, pushing back graduation even further.

It was about a week after the snow day – two days before Christmas Eve – and all the snow had melted when Natasha was driving home from work late at night. Her boss had asked her if she would close the café and Natasha graciously said that she would. She immediately regretted it. When she walked out of the café, a light snow had begun to fall and she got nervous because she had never driven in the snow. She was thankful it wasn't sticking to the roads yet, but she still drove several miles per hour under the speed limit.

When she pulled into her driveway, the car's headlights illuminated her front porch and a strange figure slumped over, seated on her steps. When the headlights hit them, they looked up and Natasha's heart caught in her throat. She wasn't ready for this. Not yet, at least.

She cut the engine and grabbed her bag from the passenger seat. The snow that had stuck to her driveway crunched underneath her feet as she made her way to her front porch to confront Clint. As she drew nearer, she noticed the bottle that was dangling from his fingertips. When she approached him, she caught the stench of alcohol and then noticed that the bottle, a bottle of Jack Daniels, was a little less than half full.

"Hey," he slurred and then burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hey yourself?" Natasha said uneasily.

"I jus'…I jus' wanted to come here an' say hi," he slurred.

"Okay?" she said.

_God Clint,_ she thought. _What the hell happened to you?_

"I haven' seen you since September," he slurred. "I thought it was time we saw each other."

"Yer prolly wondering wha's wrong with me," he slurred.

"You're drunk. That's what's wrong with you," she snapped.

He shook his head. "No," he said. "I haven' moved on from you so I started to drink. A lot."

"I can see that," she said.

"Nope, not jus' tonigh'. All the time," he slurred, and then burst into a fit of giggles again.

"So you're essentially an alcoholic? Real smart Barton," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Ding ding ding! _You_ win a prize!" he exclaimed.

"Oh really? What do I win?" she said. If she played along, maybe this would make this a lot easier.

"This bottle!" he said, handing her the bottle of Jack Daniels. She took the bottle from him and she hoped he wouldn't ask for it back. If she had it in her possession, it would mean he wouldn't drink anymore. She examined the bottle and shook it to slosh around the remainder of the liquid in the glass container.

"Hmm, Tennessee Honey whiskey. That stuff's not too bad actually," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah," he said, sitting back down on her porch steps. "Are you happy to see me?"

A wide grin spread across his face and it almost ripped her heart in half. He may be drunk, but good God, that smile was still incredibly adorable.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm happy to see you Clint," she said, and she meant it.

He burst into another fit of giggles and she sat down on the porch steps next to him, taking a swig of whiskey from the bottle. She felt the liquid burn her throat as it went down; it had been a while since she drank.

"You know wha' Nat," Clint said, pointing a finger at her as he began to sway to the side. At this point, she was just glad he was sitting down.

"What Clint?" she asked.

He was silent for a second and then he belched incredibly loud that the noise echoed throughout the air.

"Real classy Barton," she said. He had started to sway back and forth and she was starting to shiver. Her jacket wasn't heavy enough to keep her warm for this long.

"Hey, umm, what do you say we go inside?" she suggested.

"Okay Tasha!" he slurred, and then stood up, tripping over his own feet as he stumbled up the steps. Natasha followed him, pulling her keys out of her bag, and sliding it into the lock. She turned the key and unlocked the door, turning the door knob to grant them access into her house. Clint stumbled inside and Natasha followed, flipping the switch on by the door to turn on the lights. Clint flinched at the sudden brightness and swayed from side to side.

"I don't feel so good," he said, and then vomited all over the hardwood floor.

"Oh you mother fucker," Natasha muttered. She placed the bottle of whiskey on the table by the door and shed her bag and jacket, setting them on the arm chair in the corner. When she turned around, she saw Clint swaying from side to side again, but this time, a little more violently. That's when she saw him lose his footing and head straight for the floor. Natasha rushed over and grabbed him under the arms before he could hit the floor.

She knew he weighed a lot. Guys always did but she still wasn't prepared to carry all of his weight.

"Okay, hey Clint, you've got to cooperate with me now, okay?" she said, slinging his arm across her shoulders so she could bear his weight.

"Sure," he slurred, trying to regain his balance.

"We're going to go to my bedroom okay? You remember where that is?" she asked. He nodded his head – or at least she thought he did – and they started walking towards the bedroom, or in Clint's case, stumbling.

It took a couple minutes but they finally made it to her bedroom. She gently lowered Clint down on the bed and pulled his shoes off, tossing them into the corner of the room. She pulled his legs up onto her bed and covered him up with the spare blankets she kept at the foot of the bed.

She thought he was completely passed out until she was about to leave the room to clean up the mess when he grabbed her hand. The gesture had startled her but she still turned to look at Clint. His eyes were still closed but she knew he was still conscious.

"Nat?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she asked nervously.

"Will you stay here?" he asked.

"I will Clint. I need to go clean up the mess first, okay?"

His head lolled to the side and she watched as his breathing slowed to a steady pace. When she knew he was somewhat safe and still alive, she made her way out to the kitchen to grab supplies to clean up his drunken mess.

As she grabbed the cleaning supplies from under the sink, she felt a smile spread across her face. It seemed ridiculous to be smiling in a situation like this but she realized that in the morning, she would have Clint back. They probably wouldn't be back together, she knew that for sure, but he would be back to normal and maybe they could talk. Just because he was drunk didn't mean that what he said wasn't true.

The break-up had been so hard on him that he had turned to drinking to cope with the pain. This sudden realization had hit Natasha squarely in the chest. The guilt had hit her like a freight train barreling uncontrollably down the tracks. She was the reason he was like this right now. She had caused this. As she made her way into the living room to clean up the mess, she realized that she had to make this right, and she was going to do everything possible to put the pieces of the puzzle of their relationship back together.

But first, to clean up the vomit.

* * *

When Clint awoke the next morning, he had a splitting headache and his mouth was dry. He didn't want to open his eyes to face the daylight. He groaned and shoved a pillow on top of his head.

That's when Clint caught a whiff of the scent on the pillow. That scent was so familiar but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He lifted his head and peeked out from underneath the pillow to get a good look at his surroundings.

_What the fuck?_ He thought. _What the hell am I doing in Natasha's bedroom?_

That's when it all came flooding back to him. When his parents had left to go out to dinner with some friends, Clint had raided their liquor cabinet and began to drink. By the time half of the bottle was gone, Clint didn't remember anything. He didn't even remember how he got here.

_Oh God,_ he thought. _ Please don't tell me I drove._

He hadn't driven to Natasha's house. In his drunken state, he still had some common sense to realize that walking was smarter than driving. And so he walked to Natasha's house, and when he realized she wasn't home, he waited on her porch until she came home.

When she did come home, he remembered that he had mentioned how he had turned to drinking to cope with the break-up. For Clint, it didn't matter what kind of alcohol. If it took away the pain, he drank it.

He had hoped Natasha would never find out because knowing her as well as he did, she would surely blame herself. He would have never admitted this to her sober and he had made Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane promise they wouldn't tell Natasha. Unfortunately, the cat was out of the bag and it was all because he slipped up.

He rolled over onto his back and turned his head to the side. That's when he noticed the tall glass of water and the two aspirin pills that were on the bedside table. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and took the two pills, washing them down with a swig of water.

As soon as he felt the pills slowly take effect, he realized that he was going to have to face Natasha. He could hear her banging around in the kitchen so he knew that she was still in the house. He swung his legs over the side of her bed and his feet connected not with the familiar hardwood flooring, but soft blankets. He looked down and saw a makeshift bed that he assumed Natasha had slept on last night.

He felt himself sway to the side but he steadied himself by gripping the edge of the bedside table. He grabbed the door handle and turned it, letting the door swing open. He stumbled out into the living room and could smell the aroma of pancakes and maple syrup coming from the kitchen.

He dragged his feet towards the kitchen and when he entered, he saw Natasha toiling over the stove. She must have felt his presence because she turned around and flashed him a small smile.

"Hey," she said, putting one hand on her hip and the other on the edge of the counter.

"Hey," he grumbled, leaning up against the wall.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Like a bus ran over my head," he said, "but I'll survive."

"You should feel like shit," she said, and then grabbed for a bottle on the counter. It was the bottle of whiskey he had been drinking last night. When he caught a glimpse of how much was left in the bottle, he buried his face in his hands.

"You hit the bottle pretty hard last night," she said, shaking the bottle.

"Yeah, sorry," Clint mumbled, his face still in his hands. He lifted his head and looked at Natasha.

"I'll just, umm, go home now," he mumbled, and then started to turn to leave.

"You're not going home," Natasha ordered.

"Yeah, I am. My parents are probably really pissed off at me."

"No, they're not. They know you're with me. I called them to let them know."

When Clint gave her a panicked look, she continued.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell them about your drunken adventures," she said and then turned back to the stove.

"I've still got to go. You probably…you probably don't want me here," Clint said.

Natasha turned back around and Clint could see the anger in her eyes.

"You're not leaving because one, I can't drive in the snow, and two, we need to talk," Natasha said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Huh? What?" Clint asked in confusion.

"We. Need. To. Talk," she said, letting each word stand by itself.

"Okay fine, so talk," he said, making his way to her kitchen table.

As he sat down, he saw Natasha out of the corner of his eye make her way to the kitchen table as well and sit down across from him.

"Why do you drink Clint?" she asked, putting her hands in her lap and sitting up straight.

Clint shrugged.

"You drink because of me, don't you?" she asked.

Clint hesitated but eventually nodded. He could almost feel the emotional wound being open up again.

"It has to stop Clint," she ordered.

"I can't," he said. "I won't be able to stop. Not unless I get you back, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anytime soon."

"Would you just pay attention because I'm actually trying to make it happen," she demanded.

When Clint looked up at her, she could see that the rims of his eyes were red. Whether it was from his hangover or he was crying she wasn't sure. Either way, it killed her to see the pain in his eyes.

"You wanted this to be over," he said, his voice cracking.

"No Clint," she said firmly. "I didn't want to keep holding you back. I didn't want you to keep throwing your life away for me."

"And what's so bad about that?" he asked coldly.

Natasha had to admit that she had no idea how to answer that. What exactly was so bad about him throwing his life away for her? He went to school, he got good grades, and he studied hard. He had a couple friends that she knew of, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy Penn State. So what exactly had been so bad about him coming home every weekend for her? What exactly was so bad about him wanting to try to see her as much as possible?

"I-I don't know," she said, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"What was so bad about that Natasha?" he asked more firmly this time. "I want to know then maybe I can move on. I want to know the logic behind this."

Natasha didn't answer and kept her eyes trained on her hands in her lap. She really didn't have any logical reasoning behind the break up other than she didn't want to hold him back. Maybe it seemed logical at the time, but it had come out of nowhere.

"There wasn't really any logic behind it," she whispered.

"What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," he said sarcastically.

"There wasn't any logic," she said, angrily.

"Yeah, so I don't understand what the problem was," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"I was holding you back," she said, her voice cracking. She could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"I don't understand that Natasha. If you were holding me back, it would pretty much mean I wasn't willing to make it work, that I wanted to go on and do better things. I wanted a college experience but I also wanted you, and I still do."

That last part hit Natasha squarely in the chest like a ton of bricks. She knew he'd always want her but the fact that after all this time he didn't harbor any resentment against her. Well, at least, not that she knew of. He still wanted her even after she had broken his heart.

She started to feel the tears spill over but quickly brushed them away with a swipe of her hand. Clint had seen her cry before, but even though he knew that the break-up had to have affected her greatly, she didn't want him to see how much.

"I know you do Clint," she said with a shaky voice, "and I would still love to make this work…"

"But?" he asked. "There's always a but."

"Yes, there's always a but. I didn't want to be holding you back, and I felt like our long distance relationship was hardly long distance with you promising to be home practically every weekend. There's nothing wrong with that, but it has to get exhausting after a while."

"So what? That's my choice," Clint said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Fine. If you want to shoot down every argument I have by being a dick, that's fine with me, but understand me Clint. I hurt myself when I ended it. You're not the only one still suffering."

Silence prevailed and they stayed like that for a couple of minutes. In the silence, Natasha got to thinking. Maybe they could make this work, but going back to the way they were wasn't going to happen. Things couldn't be the same, at least not for a while, but they could most certainly pick up the pieces and put them back together as much as possible.

"What if we started all over?" she asked.

"What, like I ask you out on a first date or something?" he asked nostalgically.

"Kind of," she agreed, but with a shrug of her shoulders. "I was thinking more along the lines of the very beginning."

_The very beginning?_ Clint thought. _What the hell is she talking about?_

"Wait, are you talking about being just friends right now?" Clint asked, and Natasha nodded her head in hesitation.

"No! No, Natasha, I can't be just friends with you!" he yelled as he got up from his chair at the kitchen table.

"Why not? We've done it before," Natasha said calmly, still seated at the table.

"Because of all that we've been through, all that we've done together. We were romantically involved for over two years! You seriously think we can go back to being friends after all of that?"

"We can try. We won't know unless we try, and then from there, we rebuild. I think it could work," she deadpanned.

Clint tried to object, spitting out several different unfinished thoughts before he gave up and sat back down at the table across from Natasha. He rested his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands.

"We can do this Clint," Natasha said, reaching across the table and gingerly placing a hand on his arm. Clint nearly flinched at her touch but he relaxed. If he was going to try this ridiculous plan of hers, he was going to have to relax.

"Okay fine," he said, raising his head up from his hands and looking up at Natasha. "Fine, we'll try this, but I swear to God it's going to kill me every single day."

"Oh stop being such a baby," she said. "And as your best friend, can I be totally honest with you?"

Clint looked at her in confusion, but nodded his head anyways.

"You smell. Really bad," Natasha confessed. She tried to say it without emotion, but had a hard time concealing the smile that she felt creeping across her face.

At first, Clint didn't say anything at all but then he cracked a smile.

"I need a shower, don't I?" he asked.

"You also need to wash all of my bedding and blankets. They probably reek too. You pretty much owe me one because you puked all over my living room floor last night," she teased.

"I'm not cleaning your damn bedding Romanoff," he joked.

They sat at the kitchen table for over an hour, hurling insults at one another. As he continued making fun of her – from the smell of alcohol on her bedding to the fact that he couldn't believe the state thought she was responsible enough to be unleashed on the roads by herself – Clint found that maybe it was possible to be friends with her again. If this worked, it could blossom into a relationship again. When? There was no telling, but Clint was just glad she was back in his life again.

* * *

**I told you it would be fixed, I never said they would get back together, so I'm sorry if that was misleading. I did say that they have a happy ending so interpret that as you want.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Let me know what you think about Clint's drunken mishap and their reconciliation!**


	30. Acceptance

**I hope this isn't a letdown for you guys. It's kind of all over the place. I've been working on this on and off for the past 24 hours so it might not be that great, but here is chapter 30 anyways.**

* * *

Both Clint and Natasha found it extremely hard to wander into the friend zone after being romantically linked for so long. Clint found it difficult to not lean in for a kiss instead of a hug when they parted ways, and every time Natasha reached to touch him, she always retracted her hand because it seemed like it felt wrong. The tension was always there, and neither one of them liked it, but it would've felt weird to just suddenly get back together after everything that had happened.

When Clint returned to State College following his winter break, he felt the urge to drink again, but because of Natasha, he resisted. If he wanted them to get back together, he was going to have to step it up. Natasha was stubborn, and it was going to be hard to win her back, but Clint was going to make it work. He'd won her over before, and he could do it again.

Natasha was visibly happier when she'd go to school. She wasn't happy that she and Clint still weren't back together but they were working on it so it put her in a better mood. Peggy and Jane were glad to finally see her smiling again and putting an effort into her friendships with them again, but Bruce didn't seem pleased. In the first half of the school year while she and Clint were broken, Bruce had begun to harbor a crush on Natasha. He would never ask her out because Clint intimidated him far too much, but he still couldn't help feeling a little lightheaded when he was around Natasha. Now that she and Clint were working things out, he couldn't help but feel like an idiot for thinking that they wouldn't go crawling back to one another. They'd been best friends ever since he scared off those playground bullies from teasing her so an eventual romance between them had been inevitable.

Natasha had to be honest; she missed Clint when he left for State College. It wasn't the yearning and longing she felt when they were dating, but she definitely missed him. She missed having him around to work things out. There was no chance for them to work on their friendship and their second chance at a relationship if he was three hours away. However, she was happy that he would be coming home the weekend of his birthday. It wasn't for her, she knew that for sure, but his parents had asked him to do it, so it made her happy that there would be another chance in the very near future for them to hang out again.

Natasha's spirits were struck down when her first acceptance letter came in the mail. Yes, she was ecstatic that she had gotten her first acceptance to a university, but the letter had brought her back to reality. She had gotten accepted to UC Berkeley, and then shortly thereafter, UCLA. She had applied to many more colleges and universities, but the fact that the two she had already gotten accepted to were on the other side of the country was a little intimidating. If they were the only schools she was going to get accepted to, then she and Clint's second chance was screwed.

When Clint came home for his birthday the first weekend of February, Natasha was conflicted as to how she was going to tell Clint that she had gotten accepted to two schools on the west coast. She knew he'd be happy for her because that's just how Clint was, but she didn't want to see him get distraught over the whole situation.

As she drove over to his house the night his parents had planned a dinner for his birthday, she planned out how she was going to break the news to him in her head. She reviewed it over and over, but no matter how many times she repeated it or organized it, it was still going to hurt him.

Clint greeted her at the door when she made it to his house, and he could immediately tell that she was nervous about something. Their separation had not dulled his strange sixth sense to notice when something was wrong with her. He wasn't going to bombard her with questions before dinner, let alone with a bunch of guests around, so he figured he'd just wait until they had a moment between just the two of them to ask.

Clint's parents had also brought Barney home for the weekend, and invited Peggy, Jane, and Thor – who was home for the weekend as well – to join them for dinner; Steve was pretty much stuck at Notre Dame due to how far away it was, but he told Clint on the phone that he desperately wished he could have came.

Clint's mom had cooked a fabulous dinner, complete with salad and a special homemade soup. The main course was cooked to perfection and even served as if it was from a five-star restaurant. For dessert, there was obviously a cake due to it being Clint's birthday. Clint's mom made it as well, and it was Clint's favorite, chocolate with peanut butter icing.

After they had sung happy birthday to Clint and devoured the cake to the point where just a tiny sliver was remaining, everyone retired to the living room. As everyone filed into the living room, Clint hung back in the kitchen and grabbed Natasha's arm as if to tell her to hang back too. She furrowed her brow in confusion but shrugged her shoulders and waited for the rest of the guests to trickle into the living room.

When Clint was sure that everyone was in the living room and fully engaged in a conversation, he turned to Natasha.

"Okay, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"You've been nervous ever since you walked through the door. What's wrong?"

Natasha sighed and walked over to her bag that was slung over the back of one of the kitchen table chairs. Clint watched on edge as she searched through it, and then eventually pulled out two folded pieces of paper.

"This isn't how I wanted to tell you but…" she trailed off, and handed the papers to Clint. He took them from her and immediately unfolded the top paper. It was an acceptance letter from UC Berkeley. He read each line twice, soaking in the news. He traded the UC Berkeley acceptance letter for the second piece of paper, and unfolded it to read it. This one was also an acceptance letter, but from UCLA.

"I'm just scared that these are the only two schools that are going to accept me," she mumbled, "and then we won't get another shot."

"No, Natasha. This is great. Fantastic," he said wearily. He was trying to be excited for her, and that was about as much as he could muster. He was proud of her, he really was. She had always been extremely intelligent and smart so there was no doubt that the top schools in the country would accept her. But she was right. If these were the only two schools that accepted her – which was a theory he greatly doubted – there would be no chance of them having another shot at being together.

"Then why do you sound so disappointed?" she whined.

"I want to work this out too," he said and then took a deep breath, "but I also want the best for you. If these are the only two schools that accept you, but I'm telling you that I doubt that will happen. But, if these are the only two schools that accept you, you need to go to one of them. That's an opportunity you can't pass up."

It pained Clint to say it, but he couldn't be selfish either. She had claimed to be holding Clint back. Well fine, so she had supposedly been holding him back, but he wasn't going to do that to her.

"Well fuck," she said as he handed her back the acceptance letters. She shoved them into the back pocket of her jeans, took a deep breath, and then swiftly crushed her lips up against Clint's. He wasn't expecting it but when she did it, it felt so familiar. Even after all the months of not having her lips against his, it felt just the same, like nothing had changed.

She pulled away but he didn't want to stop. He began trailing kisses down her neck and just barely brushed his lips against her collarbone as she tangled her fingers into his hair.

"Awkward," came a voice from behind them and they both gasped as they pulled away from each other.

"Mom wanted to know why you guys weren't in the living room so she sent me to check on you. I guess I can tell her you guys were busy making up," Barney said with a shrug.

"Jesus fucking Christ Barney! First you botch one of our potential first kisses, and now this!" Clint exclaimed.

"It's what I do best," Clint's brother said with a mischievous grin and then slunk out of the kitchen into the living room.

"What an asshole," Natasha said from beside Clint and he turned to see her shaking her head in disapproval at her brother.

"Yeah, he is," Clint agreed. "On another note, what the hell was _that_?"

Natasha shrugged. "In the heat of the moment?" she said with a nervous laugh.

He gently grabbed her by the elbow and then pulled her close to him and placed another quick kiss on her lips.

"I would say that was probably the best birthday present I've ever gotten," Clint said as he leaned in and kissed her again, softly but passionately. When they pulled away, they couldn't deny it anymore. They needed each other and they wanted each other. No amount of distance would change that.

* * *

If they could deal with the break up, they could certainly deal with a couple weeks of separation until Clint came home for his spring break. Spring break usually meant that all the college students flocked to the beach but at the beginning of March, it was still too cold to be outside in a swimsuit. To get any sort of joy out of spring break, college students had to go further south, and Clint didn't have the money to do that anyways even if he wanted to.

In the weeks leading up to Clint's spring break, Natasha received more college acceptance letters, including an acceptance from Penn State. When she received the acceptance packet in the mail, she immediately called Clint. Penn State wasn't very high up on her list of schools she wanted to attend but if she had slim pickings, Penn State it would be.

"I'm still holding out for NYU. You know that, right?" she said to Clint over the phone.

"Oh yeah, I know that," he said. He didn't sound even the slightest disappointed. He almost sounded excited.

"Are you okay? You sound really…giddy," she said uncertainly.

"Nope, everything's fine," he said.

* * *

Between Clint's birthday and his return home for spring break, Stroudsburg High School started advertising for prom by shoving posters down students' throats and assaulting their ears with constant announcements. Natasha figured she wasn't going to go to prom since she'd already been to it last year with Clint. Prom was prom. Just as long as she got to experience it, it didn't matter as to when she got to go.

However, Peggy and Jane weren't going to let her skip their senior prom so they constantly badgered her about going.

"Natasha, it's our senior prom!" Peggy whined one day during lunch.

"So?" Natasha said.

"It's more meaningful when it's your class's prom. Just because we went last year doesn't mean we can't go again," Jane explained.

"I know," Natasha said, poking at the food on her tray with her fork, "but I see no point in going."

"You have to go," Bruce chimed in.

"You want to go to prom?" Natasha asked.

"Not really, but might as well. That's one high school event I can say I experienced," Bruce said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, I'm not going," Natasha stated once again.

Bruce heaved a sigh and then pushed his chair out from the table. He then stood up on his chair, towering over all the students seated in the cafeteria.

"You are going to prom," Bruce demanded.

"Bruce, what the fuck? Sit your ass down!" she hissed, trying to hide her face from embarrassment.

"No, not until you agree to go to prom, and you agree to go with me," he announced.

"If I say yes, will you sit down?" Natasha asked, still hiding her face. Bruce nodded in response to her question.

"Okay fine! I'll go to prom with you, now sit the fuck down!" she shrieked, grabbing his hand to pull him to solid ground.

"Clint's going to be pissed," Peggy said.

"Shut up. I'm going to prom with you guys. Doesn't that matter?" Natasha snarled and angrily stabbed at the food on her tray.

* * *

It seemed like every time she saw Clint since their reconciliation around Christmas she was extremely nervous about something. First, she was nervous about showing Clint the acceptance letters to UC Berkeley and UCLA. Now, she was nervous to tell him that she was going to prom with Bruce.

She figured he wouldn't care since he'd already been to his own prom, but Clint had gotten extremely territorial around Alexei, so he wasn't sure how he would take the news that Bruce was taking her to prom.

As much as she wanted to hang out with Clint over his spring break, she avoided him, both voluntary and involuntary. During the week, she was at school, and then afterwards, she would have work. Add in school work and comparing the options from colleges that she had gotten accepted to, she had no time. She knew Clint was getting frustrated because they'd spent maybe a total of ten minutes together since he'd been home and she was beginning to shoot down every chance for them to hang out.

Clint knew she didn't work that Friday, so he called her and politely asked her if she would come over. Of course she tried to make up an excuse as to why she couldn't but Clint just shot it down and demanded that she come over.

When she arrived, she had that nervous look on her face. Clint knew that she had been purposely avoiding him for a reason, and it made his uneasy. Was she having second thoughts about their rekindled relationship?

She had brought more college acceptance letters with her to show Clint. She was really excited that she had gotten accepted to Temple University but she constantly reminded Clint that she was still holding out for NYU; she wouldn't find out the decision until the beginning of April. However, Clint knew that the acceptance letters weren't bugging her that much anymore, so whatever she was nervous about, it was something completely different.

"_What_ is going on with you now?" he asked as they sat on his living room couch watching a movie. Natasha nearly jumped ten feet in the air when Clint broke the silence, but she knew she couldn't hide this from him for much longer.

"Umm…" she trailed off. "I'm kind of, maybe, sort of going to prom without you."

"Okay? So? We went last year," he stated.

"Okay, but that's not all," she said and he bobbed his head up and down to signal for her to keep going.

"I'm going with Bruce Banner," she said and then slightly flinched. She was afraid he was going to get angry, fly off the handle, and get angry with her. Instead, he just furrowed his brow in confusion and shook his head.

"So, you're going to prom with Bruce. That's fine. It's just prom," he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Are you _sure_?" she asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah," he said with a chuckle. "You've really got to stop stressing yourself out."

Clint leaned in and kissed her on the cheek to ease the tension but stopped when he noticed the silver chain wrapped around her neck. It wasn't necessarily the chain that caught his attention but the item that was hanging from it. He gingerly took the ring he bought her from Tiffany's between his thumb and forefinger as he felt her suck in a nervous breath.

_Well, at least she's still wearing it_, Clint thought, but he was still sort of hurt that it was around her neck instead of her ring finger.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "It just would've felt weird to have it back on my finger."

Clint shook his head. "No, it's okay. I should've guessed that you'd take it off."

Natasha scooted over on the couch and rested her head on Clint's shoulder. Simple gestures such as this were getting easier for Natasha but it still felt awkward to her at times. Little by little, they'd be able to get back to the way they were, if that was even possible.

"You know what, I'm going to fix this," Clint said, squirming so he could face Natasha, whose head was still resting on his shoulder. She looked at him in confusion.

"We never went on a first date, unless Coney Island counts," Clint said. "So, I'm going to ask you out."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You don't have to do this," she said.

"I don't _have_ to, but I want to," Clint said. "So, Natasha, will you go on a date with me?"

Natasha rolled her eyes again. "Yes Clint, I will go on a date with you."

He leaned in to kiss her but she pushed him away.

"I don't kiss before the first date."

* * *

When Natasha finished with her shift on Saturday, she returned home and hopped in the shower to get ready for her "date" with Clint. It was ridiculous to think of it as a date seeing as they were romantically involved for over two years and now, were currently working on their relationship. As she stepped out of the shower, dried herself off, wrapped herself up in a towel, and then made her way down the hall to her bedroom, she started to worry over what to wear. It seemed ridiculous because Clint would like whatever she had on, but the jitters a girl would get before a first date were starting to kick in.

It was still a bit chilly for the beginning of March, so Natasha slipped on a black skirt with some tights and a white top. She curled her hair the way she knew Clint liked it – just barely brushing her shoulders – and slapped on a hint of makeup.

As she was finishing up in the bathroom, she heard the doorbell ring and she rushed to the door to answer it. She opened the door and saw Clint standing on her front porch with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," she said. "Umm, do you want to come in? I'm almost done."

Clint stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. Natasha rushed back to the bathroom, but this time, closed the door behind her. She placed her hands on the edge of the counter top and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Okay, this is no big deal," Natasha said to her reflection. "It's just a date. With your best friend, then boyfriend, then ex-boyfriend, then friend, and now possible boyfriend. Yeah, no big deal."

She took a deep breath, finished up in the bathroom, then quickly rushed into her bedroom to grab her coat, shoes, and bag before traipsing back out into the living room where Clint was. He was still standing by the door with his hands jammed into his coat pockets and she flashed him a smile when she reentered the room.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, just let me…" she trailed off as she grabbed him by the shoulder for support to slip on her shoes. "Okay, yeah, I'm ready."

Clint opened her front door and gestured for her to go first. She stepped over the threshold with Clint behind her, closing the door behind them. He sped up to reach car before her so he could open the door for her and she slid into the passenger seat. She watched as Clint walked around the front of the car and then slid into the driver's seat.

She had no idea where they were going when Clint pulled out of her driveway and he wouldn't tell her. Natasha's idea of a first date was dinner and a movie, and then at the end of the night, the guy would drop the girl off and maybe give her a kiss on the front porch. But this was Clint, and he enjoyed pulling out all the stops. He didn't like doing things simply.

When they drove through Main Street and then crossed the bridge, Natasha had a feeling he was taking her to the park where he held the performance for his sixteenth birthday. Clint turned down the road leading to the park and her suspicions were confirmed. They pulled into the same exact spot as Bruce had two years ago when he delivered her to the park for Clint.

The headlights illuminated the wooden gazebo which was adorned with the same white twinkle lights Clint used for her sixteenth birthday. The gazebo was empty and Natasha was wondering exactly what Clint had planned for their "date." He cut the engine and then got out of the car, rounding the front, and opened the passenger side door for Natasha.

"Is this your idea of a first date?" Natasha asked teasingly as she got out of the car. Clint didn't say anything as they walked towards the gazebo. When they reached it, Clint took Natasha's hand and guided her up into the wooden structure. They stood in the middle in silence, both of them standing there awkwardly with their hands shoved into their coat pockets.

"Okay, so, I really had no idea what to do on a first date. I brought you here because I thought it would be nice but I'm drawing a blank as to what to do," he said with a chuckle. "I did buy you Twizzlers though. They're still your favorite right?"

He reached down into a bag in the corner of the gazebo and pulled out a pack of Twizzlers. Natasha gingerly took them in her hands and laughed.

"Yeah, they're still my favorite," she said. "So, do you just want to eat Twizzlers all night?"

"I'm out of ideas. I guess I used them all up when I was in high school," Clint said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Natasha giggled. "It's fine. I feel like we've experienced everything we've needed to experience in our relationship that a first date isn't even necessary anymore."

She sat down on the floor of the gazebo, tucking her legs underneath her in a lady-like fashion. She ripped open the bag of Twizzlers and pulled out two, one for her and one for Clint. She patted the space next to her to let Clint know that he can sit down next her. He sat down as she handed him a Twizzler.

They sat in silence, eating Twizzlers and admiring the landscape that surrounded the gazebo. They could feel the temperature dropping as they continued to sit there devouring the red candy.

"Clint, umm," she started, nervous to continue, but when Clint's blue-grey eyes looked right at her, she nearly lost her train of thought.

"What?" he asked.

"Umm, are we…are we officially back together?" Natasha asked, keeping her eyes trained on the bag of Twizzlers in her lap. It seemed like a strange question to ask. Even though he slipped in a simple kiss for her every so often, it still didn't feel like they were back together. Ever since that kiss in his kitchen on his birthday, it was never officially noted that they were back together. They don't hold hands like they used to, and when they sit on the couch together, they usually sit with a decent amount of space in between them. He used to call her either Nat or Tasha, but now, he only calls her Natasha. Most importantly, they don't tell each other "I love you" like they used to. Those three simple words used to fall out of their mouths like word vomit. Now, it's hardly even noted.

"Umm, you tell me," he said. "I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but you're the one who ended it, and I don't want to pressure you to officially start it up again. So if you want us to be back together, then we can be if you want."

"It's just…ever since your birthday, we never officially said that we were back together. It feels like we're friends with benefits right now, minus the sex aspect," she said.

Clint shrugged. "You just have to say so, Natasha."

"Stop calling me Natasha," she snapped. "I'm sick of hearing it. Can you please go back to calling me Nat or Tasha?"

"Yeah, Nat," he said with a chuckle. "Anything else?"

She hesitated to answer but then she drew in a deep breath and then exhaled. "I don't want to be just friends anymore. That kiss in your kitchen on your birthday made me realize that I don't want to be just friends with you. I can't be just friends with you. And you're being so incredibly patient for someone who was so hostile against this idea in the first place, and I'm sorry for not realizing it soo - ."

She had begun to ramble so Clint stopped her by attacking her lips with his. He reached his hand up to cup the side of her face and she reciprocated the gesture by bringing both of her hands up to touch his face. She started to lean back onto the gazebo floor and Clint put his hand around her back to gently lower her so that she didn't hurt her back on the floor. The only time they broke the kiss was for a quick breath but otherwise, they kissed to make up for the lost time.

That's when Natasha realized that he would be leaving tomorrow to return to State College and the thought made her so angry that she broke off the kiss and punched him in the shoulder.

"You're an ass," she said, pushing him off of her and raising herself up into a sitting position.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his shoulder. "What the fuck? What did I do?"

"You're leaving tomorrow to go back to State College, and you pretty much just tricked me into getting back together with you."

"Nat, I didn't trick you," he said. "I told you. It's your choice. If you don't want to, just say so. You of all people know that I still want you, and I'll wait for you, but I'm not going to start it. That's all on you."

Natasha sighed. "I just don't want to get hurt again, even though it was my own doing in the first place," she muttered under her breath.

"You won't," he said. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that we'll make it work. I'd do anything and everything for you."

Natasha sighed. "Okay," she said. "Okay, but you have to promise me you won't throw your life away at Penn State to come home to see me."

"I promise," he said, then smiled and leaned in to kiss her again. She fell back against the floor of the gazebo and let Clint's lips search hers. He trailed kisses down her jaw, then her neck, and then to her collarbone. When he reached for the promise ring he had given her that was currently around her neck, she didn't protest. He pulled the chain over her head, took the ring off of the chain, and slipped the ring back onto her left ring finger where it would stay no matter what happened.

* * *

**Like I said, if it was a letdown I'm sorry haha. I really do have to write something all in one sitting unless it's not consistent or it doesn't make sense. But they're back together! Yay!**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Let me know if you're happy that they're back together! Oh who am I kidding, I KNOW you guys are happy they're back together. But let me know how you feel about it!**


	31. NYU or Bust

**Okay, I just want to make something very clear. After I received a very "strange" review last night, I want to make it very clear that this story is a work of FICTION. As much as we all want it to happen, not many couples are as cute and romantic as Natasha and Clint are. Since this is a work of fiction, it's supposed to be fun, enjoyable, suspenseful, dramatic, and most importantly, a complete fantasy. It's not going to play out like how it would in the real world. I just want to make that clear. This particular reviewer also reviewed as if they were "talking" to Clint, but in all honesty, it felt like they were telling me how to write my damn story. They said that Clint had to leave Natasha permanently because she was taking someone else to prom and that she probably cheated on him. 1. It provides for great entertainment and 2. No, Natasha has no cheated on Clint. So here's the deal. Do not tell me how to write my damn story and if you don't like it, go write your own. And honestly, don't use your power to review to practically vent about your own personal struggles. Some of you can relate but you don't write a novel about it. If you don't like the way my story is playing out, you can show yourself to the door.**

**Okay, phew. Sorry about that. It had to be said. I'm not trying to be mean, but that one review irritated me beyond belief. I still appreciate all the reviews though! Anyways, here is chapter 31!**

* * *

When Clint returned to State College on Sunday, he felt like he was on cloud nine. He and Natasha were back together, and it was going to stay that way. He was going to make sure of it.

Clint also noticed a change in Natasha's mood. When they left the park hand in hand that evening, she was grinning from ear to ear and twirling the promise ring around her finger just like she did when she first got it. It was going to take some getting used to having it there again.

Before Natasha went to work that Sunday, she swung by Clint's house to say goodbye to him; the next time she was probably going to see him would be Easter weekend. Penn State didn't give their students an extended weekend for Easter but Clint still planned on coming home anyways. When they said their goodbyes to one another, they kissed so that it would hold them over until Clint returned for Easter.

In the meantime, Natasha joined Peggy and Jane on many shopping trips for prom dresses. This time, Natasha wasn't going to put much effort into finding a dress. She wanted to look good for her senior prom, but she stressed out so much last year because she was going with Clint. She wanted to look good next to him. It wasn't that she didn't want to look good next to Bruce, but she didn't need to stress out about impressing him like she stressed out over impressing Clint.

Thor and Steve would be home the weekend of prom so they would be able to be Jane and Peggy's dates. When they had heard that Brue and Natasha were going together, Thor and Steve were confused since they had heard the news that Clint and Natasha were back together.

"Oh my God, just tell them I was being nice," Natasha said one day at school to Peggy when she mentioned that Steve was wondering why she and Bruce were going together. "He's really nice and he needed a date to prom. I don't like the way he executed his proposal but we're just going as friends."

"That's not what Steve says," Peggy said.

"Steve's in Indiana. How would he know?"

"Oh come on," Peggy said. "Steve says that Bruce has always had a thing for you."

"Okay, so what? I really don't think Bruce would try any moves on me. He's just too nice to do that," Natasha said defensively.

"Oh no, he wouldn't. Steve was just saying that that was Bruce's motive for convincing you to go," Peggy said.

Whatever Bruce's motive was for asking her to prom, she didn't care. She was going to prom – unfortunately, without Clint – but high school was about making memories and that's what she was going to do. She already had plenty of high school memories with Clint, too many to count on her fingers and toes, and she figured it was about time she made some memories that didn't involve Clint.

Natasha found her prom dress on the same trip that Peggy and Jane had found theirs. It was nothing like her custom made Marchesa gown from last year and it wouldn't compare, but it was still sufficient enough for her standards. It was a midnight blue strapless gown with a jeweled, ruched bodice. It was simple yet elegant, and Natasha liked it enough to buy it for prom.

"Clint's going to wish he was going when he sees you in that," Jane said, nodding her head in approval.

"Don't remind me," Natasha groaned.

"Oh stop. I'm sure you guys will find a way to spend as much time together as possible on prom day," Peggy whined.

Natasha only needed the dress since she figured she'd just recycle her shoes and accessories from last year, but she was still dragged to the accessories and shoe departments as Peggy and Jane looked to spend more money on their ensembles for prom.

* * *

At the end of March – nearly a week before Natasha was going to hear from the remainder of the colleges she had applied to – she decided to tag along with her father into the city for the weekend. As long as she wouldn't be forced to bond with her grandparents, Natasha would willingly go into the city any chance she got.

Her father had hoped it would be a relaxing weekend for her but all she wanted to do was trek down to NYU's campus in Greenwich Village and get a feel for it. Being on the campus for more than five minutes made her feel at home and she realized she would be devastated if she got rejected from the school.

As she sat on a bench in Washington Square Park – admiring the elderly playing chess and the students studying for exams – she heard her phone ring in her bag and she hastily rooted through all the junk to find it. When she extracted her phone, she saw Clint's name flashing across the screen and she answered it with a smile on her face.

"Hi," she said giddily.

"Hey, how's NYU?" Clint asked. Clint knew her motive for going to the city for the weekend since she had invited him but unfortunately, Clint had an exam Monday morning promptly at eight a.m. and he didn't want to risk getting stuck in the city due to traffic. He had definitely wanted to go so he could spend time with Natasha but she understood when he mentioned that he had his exam to take Monday morning.

"Fantastic," she answered. "I'm just sitting in the park across from the arts and science building."

"Sounds like you're having a blast," he said sarcastically.

"I am!" she protested. "It would be a lot more fun if I had someone to share it with though."

"Hey, take it up with my professor. I mean really, eight a.m. classes should be illegal."

Natasha giggled. "Stop worrying about my city adventures and get back to studying."

"Okay," he said, sounding defeated. "I was just calling to see how you liked it."

"I love it," she said. "I think I'll be a little disappointed if I get rejected, but then that would mean Penn State would be next on my list so I guess there's a positive to all of this."

"I guess so," Clint said nervously.

"Are you okay? I thought I was bad with the college talk, but you're starting to surpass me in the anxiety department," Natasha said.

"Yeah, yeah," he said quickly. "Just, yeah, I've got to get back to studying."

"Okay and I'll call you later to see how you're doing with the whole studying thing," she said.

"Looking forward to it," he said, and she could almost hear the smile spreading across his face as he said it.

They said their goodbyes and hung up with each other. Natasha tossed her phone back into her bag, took another look at Washington Square Park, and then trudged to the edge of the sidewalk to hail a cab to take her back to 834 Fifth Avenue.

* * *

When the first week of April started, Natasha became extremely nervous. Every college and university that had notified her so far had accepted her, and now, this week was the moment of truth. Was she smart enough to attend NYU? If she didn't get accepted to NYU, there would be no chance of her getting accepted to Yale or Cornell, Ivy League schools. NYU was pretty close to Ivy League, and if they rejected her, Yale and Cornell would be automatic rejections as well.

Every day when Natasha came home from school, she would check the mailbox and sift through the various letters for any that were addressed to her. She would then go inside and check the status on her applications via each school's respective sites. For the most part, they always told her that a decision had been made and she would be receiving a response in the mail soon.

"If they can tell me that a decision has been made, why can't they _tell me_ what the decision is?" Natasha complained on the phone one night to Clint.

"Tasha, calm down," Clint said.

"Calm down? How the hell can I calm down when our whole future is on the line right now?" she shrieked.

Clint was taken aback at her response. It wasn't because she had snapped at him; it was because of her answer.

"Did you just say _our_ future?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"What?" she said haughtily. She was still worked up from him telling her to calm down.

"You said _our_ future," Clint stated.

"Did I?" she asked.

"Yeah, you did," Clint said with a chuckle.

Clint could almost imagine her going over what she had said in her head as he listened to the silence on the phone.

"Huh, I guess I did," she said after thinking over what she had said.

"Was this another heat of the moment thing?" he asked, almost sounding defeated.

"No," she said, and then paused before starting up again. "No, it wasn't. We're in this together Clint."

He couldn't help grinning from ear to ear as he heard her say it. She was finally beginning to believe that they could make it work no matter what.

"Stop grinning like an idiot," she said. "I'm not stupid. I know that's what you're doing right now."

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not," Clint said.

"Shut up. I know you are," she said. "Now get back to studying so you don't flunk out of college."

Clint chuckled. "Okay Mother Dearest," he joked.

Natasha giggled, and then paused to think over what she was going to say. She hadn't said it in a while, but she needed to say it.

"I love you Clint. You know that right?" Natasha said softly. "I know I fucked up months ago, but I never stopped loving you."

Clint let out a giddy laugh that he couldn't contain. "I know Nat," Clint said. "And whether you get accepted to NYU or not, I'll still love you too. It won't make you any less of a person, and it won't make me love you any less either."

Natasha nodded her head, even though he couldn't see her. She did it because she had nothing to say. She wondered why she'd let him go in the first place.

"Okay college boy, get back to studying," she said.

As she got off the phone with Clint, the stress from not receiving an answer from NYU or any other school had been slightly lifted. She knew she still wouldn't be sleeping well tonight but Clint had managed to lift her spirits a bit. But she knew that come morning, she'd be stressing all over again and rushing home after school or work to get check the mailbox for any sort of envelope that contained the fate of their future together.

* * *

When Natasha returned home after school on Thursday afternoon, she almost forgot to check the mailbox. She was halfway to the front door when the thought struck her and she quickly turned and sprinted to the mailbox. She wrenched open the door and inside – along with some normal looking envelopes – were two rather large envelopes.

With a trembling hand, she pulled out the envelopes and turned them over to look at the return address. One was from Cornell while the other was from Yale. She tore open the envelope from Yale with shaky fingers – giving herself some paper cuts in the process – and pulled out the top paper.

_Congratulations Miss Romanoff_, the first line read. _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Yale University._

Natasha figured this had to be a mistake, or she was dreaming. Did she really just get accepted to Yale?

She slid the paper back into the envelope and then tossed it onto the ground, frantically ripping open the second envelope. The papers scattered about as she completely tore open the envelope to pull out the top paper.

_Congratulations Miss Romanoff_, the opening line read. _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Cornell University._

"Pinch me, I'm dreaming," she muttered under her breath as she read the opening line over and over again. That's when the thought struck her. She dropped the acceptance letter from Cornell on the ground and reached back into the mailbox to pull out the rest of the envelopes. She shuffled through the envelopes, looking for anything addressed to her from NYU. Fortunately, there was nothing of the sort, and she let out a sigh. She was relieved that she wasn't rejected yet, but she was still going to be on edge until she received some form of notification from the school.

She slammed the mailbox hatch shut, gathered up all the papers from the ground, and rushed into the house. Tossing all of the mail on the table by the door, she struggled to pull her phone out of her bag and she searched for Clint's number. There was no guaranteeing he would answer since he could still be in class but she still jumped up and down out of anxiety as the phone rang.

"Hey Nat," he said from the other end of the line.

"Clint!" she shrieked. "Clint, oh my God!"

"Nat, what? Everything okay?" he asked anxiously.

"Everything's great! Well, sort of. You'll just…oh my God, you'll never believe me when I tell you," she said giddily.

"Well stop delaying it and tell me already!"

"I got into Yale and Cornell! I got in Clint!" she said excitedly.

"Tasha, holy shit!" Clint exclaimed. "Holy fucking shit!"

"I know! I know!" Natasha squealed.

"And NYU? What about NYU?" Clint asked.

Natasha hesitated to answer; she had been hoping he wouldn't bring it up.

"I still don't know," she mumbled.

"Tasha, I don't think you'll get rejected. If you got into Cornell and Yale, you'll get into NYU," Clint said.

"How do you know? NYU is super competitive," Natasha said.

"That's really only Tisch. Yeah, the rest of the colleges are hard to get into as well but Tisch is really the only competitive one," Clint explained.

"Thanks for the encouragement," Natasha said sarcastically.

"You're not going to Tisch so it doesn't matter. You'll get in," Clint reassured her.

Natasha mumbled something in Russian under breath in disagreement with Clint.

"We're going to celebrate when I get home tomorrow," Clint said. "My last class has already been cancelled so I can leave earlier than usual."

"There's nothing to celebrate," Natasha said in disagreement.

"Yes, we _have_ to celebrate," Clint argued.

Natasha groaned as she fell back onto the couch. "Fine," she said, "but if by some miracle I get into NYU, you're going to waste the celebration on two schools I won't even go to."

"Nat," he said softly. "Stop stressing yourself out. I have a really good feeling you'll get in. If Yale and Cornell accepted you, NYU will accept you. They'd be stupid not to because you're incredibly intelligent and smart and hard-working and – ."

"Shut it Barton."

* * *

When Natasha returned home from working the lunch shift at Sweet Creams on Friday, Clint's car was parked in her driveway and he was seated on her front porch. His elbows were resting on his knees and his chin resting in his hands. A bouquet of bright and colorful flowers was situated on the porch next to him.

As Natasha slung her bag across her chest, she smiled at Clint. He stood up when she approached him, handed her the bouquet of flowers, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Everything was back to normal for the time being. She and Clint were just like they used to be and it made her nervous that things will change for them, once again, within a few months time.

"Congratulations," Clint whispered.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Thanks," she said. "When did you get home?"

"About an hour ago," he said, following her up the porch steps and into the house.

"I'm assuming you have a game plan for my acceptance celebration? You had the rest of last night and a three hour drive today to think about it," Natasha teased as she pulled her bag off of her body and dropped it onto the hardwood floor with a _thud_. She took a seat on the couch and then grabbed Clint's hand to pull him down next to her.

"Actually, I'm leaving it up to you," he said as he leaned back into the couch. "We can celebrate or not. You're right. When you get into NYU, we don't want to waste the celebration on Yale and Cornell."

"_If_ I get into NYU, Clint," she corrected.

"You're getting in. I know it. Two Ivy League schools accepted you. NYU wouldn't reject you while two Ivy Leagues accept you. It just wouldn't make sense," he said crossing his arms.

"Why are you so okay with this?" she asked, slipping off her shoes and tucking her feet underneath her.

"I know that we can make this work. I just know it," he said.

"Well that was vague," she mumbled.

"Hey," he said leaning towards her. She turned her head and came face to face with his blue-grey eyes. "The Megabus goes from State College to New York in five hours time. It's a long trip but I'll endure it to come see you."

Natasha shrugged. "And maybe I'll endure it to see you. We'll see," she joked as she shoved him playfully in the shoulder. He retaliated with a harder but still playful shove. They shoved each other back and forth a couple more times before Clint tackled her onto her back on the couch and leaned down just close enough so that his lips were just barely brushing against hers.

"You're going to get in," Clint said and started to close the distance between their lips but Natasha shoved him away.

"Shit! I forgot to check the mail," she said, flailing around to untangle herself from Clint. She swung her legs over the side of the couch and slipped her shoes back on, and then sprinted to the front door with Clint on her heels. They raced down the steps and sprinted to the mailbox at the end of her driveway. When Natasha reached the black box, she wrenched open the door and found a rather large envelope shoved in between several other regular sized envelopes. She reached into the box and pulled out the envelope, but hesitated to open it. She could practically feel the excitement radiating from Clint when he saw her pull the envelope out of the mailbox.

"Come on! Open it!" Clint urged.

"Не торопитесь," she said; "Don't rush it" in Russian.

She stared at the envelope for a couple more seconds before flipping it over to rip open the flap. She peeked in to look for the letter that would deliver her fate. Carefully pulling it out of the envelope as if she was scared to crinkle it, she placed it on top of the envelope so that she and Clint could both read it. She read every single word on the paper before making it to the part where the decision was actually announced.

_Dear Miss Romanoff_, the letter greeted. _Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to New York University._

She didn't keep reading; she didn't need to. She had gotten accepted to NYU. She and Clint would have to face another obstacle in the fall. She was excited, and yet, a wave of depression washed over her as she dropped her hands to her side and let the paper and envelope containing all of the freshman information flutter to the ground. Suddenly, she felt Clint's arms wrap around her waist from behind her and his chin rest on her shoulder.

"You're going to NYU," he whispered in her ear.

"I-I'm going to NYU," she choked out.

Natasha felt the ground disappear from underneath her feet as Clint picked her up and spun her around.

"Wait Clint, stop. Stop," she demanded. He set her back down on solid ground and looked at her with a confused looked on his face.

"Okay, I know you're happy for me, but aren't you even the slightest bit concerned?" she asked.

"Concerned about what?"

"About us?" she said, her voice cracking a bit.

Clint shook his head. "Nope, I've got a plan, and it's going to work."

Natasha didn't get a chance to ask what exactly his plan was because he picked her up and spun her around again. Natasha finally squealed out of excitement when Clint scooped her up in his arms. Whatever "plan" he had, Natasha wanted to know what it was but Clint never gave her a chance. He crushed his lips up against hers and she forgot everything that she had been worrying about. She just knew she had to trust him.

* * *

**Once again, sorry for my little rant at the beginning. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It seems like Clint has some tricks and surprises up his sleeve and only _I_ know what they are. Hehe! And Natasha got into NYU! Hooray Natasha! Originally I really wanted to go to NYU and I felt the same exact way as Natasha did when I visited the campus. I loved it so much that I felt like I would be devastated if I didn't get in. But then my mom told me I couldn't apply at all so that put that to rest haha. Maybe I'll apply there for grad school if I decide to go there.**

**As always, thank you for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. So, review away! I still love reading your reviews so let me know what you think of Natasha getting into NYU.**


	32. The Last Waltz

**Alright, this chapter is chock full of good stuff, so here it is...chapter 32!**

* * *

Come Monday morning, Natasha had all of the forms filled out, her checks for her enrollment and housing deposits written out, and all of it was sealed away in the envelope NYU had provided for her. As she drove to school that morning, she swung by the post office to slip the envelope into the outgoing mail so that NYU would receive it as soon as possible.

Before she had left for school, she also swung by Clint's house to say goodbye to him. He was already missing his eight a.m. class, but he had to get back in time for his 3:00 class later that day. He gave her a kiss, his lips lingering on hers, and whispered in her ear how proud he was of her before he got in his parents' car and headed back to State College.

Natasha didn't feel as skittish as she used to when she watched Clint leave for State College, especially since he would be going back for the long stretch until exams, and then he'd be home for the summer. However, thinking about the upcoming summer months they had together made Natasha a little sad. They would have so much distance between them that she was scared she was going to screw it up again.

She also felt bad that the first weekend he would be home after his final exams wrapped up she would be at prom with someone else. Even though Clint said he was okay with it, there definitely had to be a part of him that wanted her to go alone over going with someone other than him. The fact that the façade he put on for her was super accepting of the situation made her feel like such a horrible person.

In the weeks leading up to Clint's return home for the summer and prom, Natasha was far too busy with arranging her housing at NYU for the fall, filling out scholarship applications that would be awarded to students on Moving Up Day, and working on end-of-year assignments. She also had to schedule to get her hair done the day of prom, as well as get the oil changed in her car. The fact that all of these tasks kept her busy and kept her mind off of Clint's absence made her feel better.

However, every time she talked to Clint, she felt extremely suspicious of his behavior. He was extremely aloof and distant when it came to talking about NYU with her. One time she had called him and it sounded like he was in a big city because she heard the honk of various car horns in the background.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Oh, umm, Pittsburgh. I'm in Pittsburgh visiting Barney," Clint answered anxiously.

"No really Clint. Where are you?" she asked. She didn't quite buy that first response.

"I told you. I'm in Pittsburgh visiting Barney," he snapped.

"Okay, okay," she said and then quickly changed the subject.

For some reason, she didn't quite believe him and she got nervous that he was going to try to get back at her for breaking up with him back in September.

_No, that's ridiculous_, Natasha thought to herself when the thought had crossed her mind. _Clint would never do that._

* * *

But she reminded herself that she trusted Clint and she was going to quit doubting him. She couldn't be paranoid that he was lying to her about something. Whatever it was, however, Natasha wanted to know. Did it have to do with that "plan" he was concocting to make their relationship work in the fall? He hadn't mentioned it since that day when she found out she got accepted to NYU so she was extremely suspicious that whatever he was doing, it had something to do with his "plan." The anticipation was killing her and she just couldn't wait to find out what he was up to.

Before Natasha knew it, Clint was home for the summer, but that also meant that prom was that weekend. She still felt incredibly terrible that Clint wasn't going to her senior prom with her, but Bruce was a nice guy and she supposed that if she was going to go with anyone other than Clint, it would be Bruce.

She awoke with a start when her alarm went off at 9:00 a.m. the morning of prom. She needed plenty of time to eat breakfast, get dressed, and get to the salon in town for her appointment at 11:00. As she was getting dressed, she heard her phone ring and she quickly ran to her bedside table to check it. It was a text message from Clint and she couldn't help but smile when she read it.

_I hope you don't look as beautiful for Bruce tonight as you did for me last year_, it read. _I'll meet you at Peggy's house later for pictures. I love you._

The guilt that she wasn't taking him as her date washed over her once again. Even though she knew he was okay with Bruce being her date, she still couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. When Bruce had asked her to prom, Natasha and Clint were at a strange time in rekindling their relationship. They were pretty much in the "are they or aren't they" stage at the time, so it was perfectly okay for her to accept Bruce's prom proposal. Now, she couldn't help but feel terrible that she was leaving Clint behind. Sure they had gone to prom together last year, but it still made her feel guilty that she was going with Bruce.

When she collected her thoughts and brought herself back to reality, she gathered up her belongings and headed into town for her hair appointment. She figured she'd have the same hairstyle done as she did last year: pulled back into an intricate bun with a few stray curls falling in her face.

She settled into her chair and popped in her iPod earphones, setting the volume low in case the girl working on her hair needed to ask questions. It felt like déjà vu as the girl tugged her hair behind her head and doused it with hair spray to make it stick together. Before Natasha knew it, her hair was put together. She paid the salon for their services and then headed back home to relax before she had to get ready.

Everyone was going to congregate at Peggy's house before prom at 3:00, just like last year when they had met up at Steve's house beforehand. Like last year, Natasha occupied the bathroom at 2:00 to put her war paint on and fix any pieces of hair that had fallen out since she returned from the salon. Once she was finished in the bathroom, she went to her room and carefully stepped into her dress, zipping it up on the side, and fixing it in the places it didn't feel right. By the time she had everything the way she wanted it, she slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag filled with her personal belongings, and headed out to her car to drive herself to Peggy's house.

When she had arrived at Peggy's house, Clint's car wasn't there yet, but Peggy, Jane, Thor, and Steve were all gathered on Peggy's front porch, joking around. For someone who was incredibly shy and kept to himself, Bruce was laughing along with the rest of the group as if he naturally belonged with them.

Natasha stepped out of the car and Bruce immediately perked up. He stood up straight when Natasha approached the group on the front porch and she greeted them with a hello.

"H-hey Natasha," Bruce stuttered.

"Hey Bruce. You look nice," she said.

"Thanks. You look…great," he said. He then bent down and picked up the corsage that was packaged in the plastic container.

"I couldn't find a blue flower the shade of blue like your dress, so I just got a white one," Bruce mumbled.

"Thanks Bruce. That's really sweet of you," she said. Bruce popped open the container and gently slipped the corsage onto Natasha's wrist. When Bruce slipped the corsage onto Natasha's wrist, Clint had pulled into Peggy's driveway. Natasha immediately turned around to see Clint getting out of his car and making his way towards her on Peggy's front porch. When he assessed her, he looked like he was concentrating, but he finally nodded in approval.

"I like this one, but I prefer last year's dress," Clint joked as Natasha playfully smacked him on the arm.

Thor, Steve, Peggy, Jane, and Bruce's parents made an appearance and herded the teens into position for pictures. When Clint went to walk away and get out of the frame, Natasha grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the group. Just because he wasn't going didn't mean he had to be left out of the pictures.

As they posed and mugged for the cameras, Natasha kept Clint close. She was trying to make up for not taking him to prom by making him be in as many pictures as possible, but her plan was foiled when the parents wanted pictures of the couples, the boys, and the girls.

When they had finished taking pictures, Natasha had several white spots dancing in front of her eyes from the flash of the cameras and it felt like her mouth was going to be in a permanent smile. They checked the time and decided it was the right time to head over to the Stroudsmoor for prom. They headed over to Peggy's driveway and started to pile into their cars.

"Hey, Steve! Thor! Keep an eye on her!" Clint shouted across the driveway, pointing above Natasha's head. Natasha spun around and punched Clint the arm, to which he replied with an "ow!"

"Don't be an ass," she said just before he attacked her with his lips.

"Save me a dance for afterwards?" he asked. Before Clint had moved back home for the summer, they had talked on the phone about what they were going to do his first weekend home since Natasha would be at prom. They had eventually settled on her staying over at Clint's house afterwards and so they could go together when they met up with Peggy, Jane, Steve, and Thor for breakfast the next morning.

"I promise," she said and then slid into the driver's seat of her car. She rolled down the passenger side window as Bruce passed by.

"Bruce, get in the car!" she shouted at him. Bruce looked at her in confusion.

"What about my car?" he asked.

"Leave it here. Jane's leaving her car here. I can drop you off after prom to pick it up. Just get in," Natasha said.

Bruce slid into the passenger seat, and Natasha backed out of Peggy's driveway and followed the line of cars headed into town. Natasha and Bruce sat in silence until they were halfway to the Stroudsmoor.

"I'm sorry you have to go with me instead of Clint," Bruce mumbled, keeping his eyes locked on the windshield.

"Oh no Bruce. No, no, no, this is going to be great. I went with Clint last year so it's no big deal. He's a big boy. He can handle a couple hours without me," Natasha said, reassuring Bruce with a smile.

"I should've never asked you."

"Yes, you should have," Natasha said. "It doesn't matter who I go with. Jane made a valid point. I should be going to my senior prom because it's my _senior prom_. So we're going to have fun and that will be that."

Natasha hoped that her short speech had lifted Bruce's spirits a bit; she wanted him to have fun just like she wanted to have fun too.

Prom was being held in the same building at the Stroudsmoor as last year, Terraview, and the students parked their cars one by one into the vast parking lot in front of the castle-like building. Natasha pulled into the space right next to Peggy's car and they got out to join their friends as they headed towards the building.

Once again, the prom committee had managed to transform the most magnificent building in the resort into a prom cliché with balloon arches and a crappy DJ. They searched the vast room for their table and took their seats and started to chat before dinner was announced.

Natasha wasn't as impressed with prom this year as she was last year, and Steve, Thor, Jane, and Peggy felt the same way. Bruce was the only who was even remotely in awe. He couldn't stop talking about how great the food was and how clichéd the decorations were while the rest of his tablemates agreed with him.

After dinner, the DJ fired up the speakers started off the dancing with an upbeat pop song. Girls rushed to the dance floor dragging their dates behind them. Natasha got up and grabbed Bruce by the back of his jacket, dragging him onto the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Getting you on the dance floor," she said. When they reached the dance floor, it took a couple songs for Bruce to loosen up but when he did, he danced just as awkwardly as Steve and Thor did. When the music slowed down to a slow song, Bruce tried to escape the dance floor but Natasha grabbed him by the jacket again and pulled him in to dance with her. His cheeks immediately turned red when she directed his hands to rest on her waist

"Oh my God, relax," she said to Bruce. "Clint's not going to kill you for a slow dance. I wouldn't let him."

The music sped up – to Bruce's relief Natasha could tell – and he immediately removed his hands from her waist. The group remained on the dance floor for a couple more songs until they decided it was time to take a break, and then pushed their way through the crowd. Natasha and Bruce were the last to break free when Natasha heard a shrill voice from behind her.

"Trouble in paradise Romanoff?" Natasha felt herself tense up. She knew that voice and she'd thought she'd been rid of the person the voice belongs to. In front of her, she saw Peggy, Jane, Steve, and Thor stop dead in their tracks and turn around to face Natasha. From beside Natasha, Bruce tensed up as well. Natasha decided it was time to turn around and face Bobbi Morse.

"What the fuck are you doing here Morse?" Natasha asked coldly.

"Can't a girl enjoy prom with one of your classmates who so graciously asked me to be their date?" Bobbi said innocently. "So Romanoff, are you and Barton dunzo? I really think it's my turn."

"Don't you have better things to do other than taunt me about my relationship with Clint? It's none of your business anyways."

"Well, you're at your senior prom with the science nerd, so I just figured you and Clint were over. I'd heard rumors so when I saw you here with Banner, I assumed they were true," Bobbi said.

"Someone call Clint. Tell him his girl's about to get in a throw down with Bobbi and he needs to get here pronto," Natasha heard Steve say behind her.

Natasha whipped her head around and stared down Steve. "If you call Clint, I will break your wrist. I can take care of myself," she snapped then turned her attention back to Bobbi.

"If you so much as _think_ about him, I will kick your ass into next year Morse," Natasha said through gritted teeth.

"You can't protect what isn't yours anymore," Bobbi said, folding her arms across her chest. Natasha was seeing red, and she needed to let it out. She balled her right hand into a fist and then let it connect with Bobbi's face. As soon as Natasha knocked Bobbi flat on her ass, she felt Steve and Thor hold her back to prevent her from doing anything else she would regret.

Natasha pried herself from Steve and Thor's grip and then stomped off towards the table. She could feel Bruce on her heels as she headed towards the table.

"She was out of line Natasha," Bruce said.

"She's always out of line," Natasha said through clenched teeth.

"Go home to Clint," Bruce ordered, and she immediately turned to him with a confused expression on her face. But she had been so angry that she'd forgotten she was at prom. With Bruce. She was ruining their prom night.

"Oh shit, sorry Bruce. I'm so sorry," Natasha said calmly.

"Nope, it's okay," he said, gathering her things up from the table and handing them to her. "Go home to Clint. I think he'd be really proud to hear about that right hook that knocked out Bobbi. I know I am."

"Are you sure?" Natasha asked. "I can stay."

"Nope," Bruce said, shaking his head. "You knocking out Bobbi was the high point of my night so it's just downhill from here. Go home. And, umm, ice that hand. It might not hurt now but it will later."

"Are you positive?" Natasha asked.

Bruce chuckled. "Yes Natasha. Go. I'm sure Peggy or Thor can give me a ride back to Peggy's house to get my car."

"Okay," Natasha said. "I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," Bruce said. Then Natasha walked forward and enveloped Bruce into a hug. She knew it would give Bobbi all the more reason to taunt her if Natasha ever saw her again, but it was just a simple hug. Bruce deserved at least that since she was leaving him at prom.

"Okay stop. Go home to Clint," Bruce said as he pushed her away. Natasha gave Bruce a quick wave and told him to tell Steve, Thor, Peggy, and Jane that she would see them tomorrow morning for breakfast. Natasha walked out of the building, the thump of the stereo system fading out the closer she got to her car.

* * *

When she pulled into Clint's driveway, she could see him standing on his front porch with a lumpy item in his hand. As she was driving to his house, she could feel the effects of the right hook start to take its toll. Her hand was sore and she had to continually flex her fingers to make sure nothing was damaged. She stepped out of the car – grabbing the bag she had packed for her overnight stay at Clint's house from the passenger seat – and shook the pain from her hand as she walked up the driveway.

"Steve called, said you might need this," Clint said when she approached the steps. He handed her the lumpy item he was holding, which was a plastic bag filled with ice.

"Thanks," she said, taking the bag of ice and putting it on her hand. The cool sensation felt great again her sore hand and she let out a sigh of relief.

"I told you. You've got to stop letting her get to you," Clint said.

Natasha shrugged. "I think she got the message that she shouldn't fuck around with me anymore."

"Alright, alright, now that you've got that out of your system, come with me," Clint said, grabbing her left hand, leading her down the porch steps, and around the back of the house.

"Clint, what are we do - ," she started but was cut short when she saw the scenery that was laid out in front of her. Just on the edge the woods, behind Clint's house, was something that looked like it was a scene straight out a romance movie. Strung between several trees was mosquito netting that acted as a canopy to shelter the bed of blankets that were placed underneath. Those white twinkle lights that Clint seemed to be so fond of were strung just underneath the mosquito netting to illuminate the scene. Hundreds of simple white candles outlined a path to the edge of the woods.

"Aw, Clint," she said, wrapping her left around his right one and leaned her head against his shoulder. Clint kissed the top of her head and grabbed her bag off of her shoulder. He slung it across his chest and then swept her from the ground and into his arms.

"You promised me the last dance of the evening, so I decided to take it up a notch," he said as he walked down the path leading to the edge of the woods. He set her back down on the ground and picked up a small remote from the ground by the bed. Natasha wasn't quite sure where it was coming from but she heard the opening line of Florence & the Machine's "Never Let Me Go" echoing throughout Clint's backyard.

"It's still our song despite what happened," he said, pulling her close. He took her right hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing the pain and soreness away from her knuckles. Then, she looped her arms around his torso and then rested her head against his chest as they began to sway to the music.

"What exactly did you plan on accomplishing with this romantic gesture, Barton?" she teased.

"Can't a guy and his girlfriend have a romantic night under the stars?" Clint asked sarcastically.

"Whatever you say, Cupid."

* * *

**What can I say, I just love throwing Bobbi in the mix for the drama aspect. And Clint, my dear, your behavior is awfully suspicious. Wh****at exactly is your "plan?" Hmmm, so many burning questions.**

**Sadly, I think my story is going to be finished at chapter 35. _I think_. But don't worry dear readers. I have another Clintasha fic that I'm trying to concoct when this one is finished. I'll give you more details in the final chapter of this story if you're interested.**

**As always, thanks for adding this story to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. I'll always love reading your reviews so review away. Let me know what you think of Clint's suspicious behavior, Natasha's senior prom (and Natasha knocking Bobbi flat on her ass), and Clint's romantic gesture.**


	33. Suspicious

**Oh Clint Barton, _what_ are you up to? Making poor Natasha worry and go all paranoid haha. Here is chapter 33!**

* * *

When Natasha woke up the next morning, she was pressed up against Clint's side with her right arm stretched across his chest. It had been a while since they slept like this, just in each other's arms, and she'd missed it so much.

Natasha carefully broke free from Clint's side and stretched. Sleeping on the hard ground hadn't been very romantic but it didn't matter that much since she got to wake up next to Clint. As she stretched, she felt every muscle groan in protest and her joints let out a sickening crack. She rolled over again and rested her hand on his chest, catching a glimpse of the bluish-blackish splotches spattered across her knuckles. Despite icing her hand once she got to Clint's house last night, she knew there was bound to be some sort of side effect to her right hook. She was just glad she didn't seriously damage anything.

Natasha felt Clint stir beside her and she watched as he slowly opened his eyes into the bright morning light. He brought one of his hands up to rub one of his eyes and then turned his head to face Natasha, who greeted him with a smile.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she said. "Sleep okay?"

"I guess so. I'm sure I'll be sore later from sleeping on the hard ground."

"Hey, you don't get to complain. This was your bright idea."

Clint was about to lean in to kiss her when he heard the muffled ring of his phone from underneath his pillow. Simultaneously, Natasha's phone rang from the other side of the bed. They both reached for their phones, and checked the screens.

"Oh shit," they said at the same time.

"Well answer it," Natasha said, peeking over at Clint's phone. Clint slid his thumb across the screen as Natasha silenced the ringer on her phone.

"Hey Steve," Clint said, putting his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, we just forgot to set an alarm," Clint said. "We'll be there ASAP."

He hung up and looked over at Natasha.

"Don't look at me," Natasha said. "You're the one who decided to get all romantic last night. It's not my fault."

Clint chuckled and then leaned over to kiss her, but was interrupted by the sound of Natasha's phone ringing again.

"Okay," she said, silencing the ringer again to ignore Peggy's call. "Stop messing around. We've got to meet them for breakfast."

"Can I finally kiss you or are we going to be interrupted again?" Clint asked.

"If you must," she teased, and Clint leaned in and kissed her on the temple, then the lips. Then, they untangled themselves from the blankets and headed into the house to quickly get changed and drive to the diner they had agreed to meet Peggy, Steve, Thor, and Jane at.

When they arrived at the diner, Clint's phone rang from the cup holder in his car. Before Natasha could catch a glimpse of the screen of who was calling him, he snatched it out of the cup holder and answered it.

"I'll meet you inside," Clint said from the driver's seat. Natasha shot him a confused look, and when she didn't leave the car he said, "Go ahead, I'll be right there."

As she walked up the ramp into the diner, Natasha looked back at Clint, still in his car, chatting away on the phone. She was really hurt that he needed to shoo her away to talk on the phone. Who was he talking to that he couldn't talk on the phone with her around? Or what exactly was he talking about that she couldn't be around to hear?

She walked through the front door of the diner and spotted Steve, Peggy, Jane, and Thor seated at a really large booth in the corner. She walked to the table and slid in next to Thor.

"Where's Clint?" Steve asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Out in the car talking on the phone with…someone," she said, hesitating when she said "someone."

"Why do you say it like that?" Thor asked.

"He practically shooed me out of the car. It was like whoever he was on the phone with, he couldn't talk to with me around," Natasha said, almost sounding defeated. Their waitress sidled up next to the table and Natasha ordered an orange juice and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. By the time the waitress had taken Natasha's order, Clint still hadn't come into the diner.

"What is he doing? Conferring with a drug cartel?" Thor joked as he shoved a huge bite of his omelet into his mouth when he noticed Clint still didn't make an appearance.

"I hope not," Natasha mumbled.

"Whatever it is, it's probably no big deal," Jane reassured Natasha.

"Yeah, I guess," Natasha said as their waitress set her food in front of her.

"Seriously, this is Clint. Maybe he's just talking to his roommate from this past year," Peggy said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What could Clint and his roommate possibly have to talk about so suddenly? They saw each other a couple days ago," Natasha snapped.

"Natasha, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Steve said.

"He's just…he's just been acting really weird lately. And he keeps telling me that he has a 'plan' for us to make our relationship work in the fall, but he won't tell me what it is," Natasha said practically in one breath.

Steve was about to respond but quickly shut his mouth when he saw Clint walk through the door. Steve waved him over to the table and Clint walked over and slid in next to Natasha. Natasha decided it was best to drop the subject. She was clearly being paranoid and whoever he was on the phone with Natasha didn't want to be the girlfriend who needed to know who he was on the phone with every single time. But his strange behavior was starting to eat away at her, and she desperately wanted to know what was going on with him.

* * *

It was a couple days before Memorial Day weekend when Natasha had really started to grow suspicious of Clint's behavior. They had been having a casual conversation one day when Natasha had brought up that she took off for the upcoming holiday weekend and wanted to know what Clint wanted to do. It was strange when his eyes grew wide, as if he hadn't realized she would even want to hang out with him.

"Oh shit, I can't," he said.

"What? Why not?" Natasha asked.

"I'm going to the city this weekend," Clint said.

"What? No you're not," Natasha said.

"Yeah, I am," Clint said. "Barney's one friend from Pitt lives in NYC and he's going to visit him this weekend so I'm tagging along."

"And you're just telling me this now why?" Natasha asked.

"Because you brought it up."

"Were you planning on telling me you were going?" Natasha asked with a slight edge to her voice.

"Yeah," Clint said bluntly.

"Am I allowed to go?"

"I don't think Barney would be okay with that," Clint said.

"And why would Barney not be okay with it? Does he hate me or something?"

"No, he was just hoping it would be a guys' weekend," Clint said, crossing his arms.

"Oh, okay," Natasha replied, then changed the subject. She didn't quite believe him. He had waited to the last minute to tell her, and he only told her because she had brought up the subject of the upcoming holiday weekend. She wasn't hurt over the fact that he wasn't hanging out with her over the weekend – though that certainly contributed to it – she was hurt that he had told her at the last minute that he wouldn't even be in town at all. The expression on his face, however, did not help his case.

_Clint Francis Barton_, she thought to herself. _What are you up to?_

* * *

"Really Natasha, you've got to calm down," Peggy said from the lounge chair to Natasha's left.

They were lounging poolside at Thor's house the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. To be honest, Natasha didn't really want to do anything that made her feel like the fifth wheel. It was strange being at Thor's house without Clint, and it was certainly strange being the odd one out. Therefore, she had resorted to sharing her strange theories involving Clint's strange behavior. They ranged from somewhat normal situations, such as the fact that he was growing tired of their relationship, to the utterly bizarre, such as being abducted and probed by aliens, which resulted in the "calm down" response from Peggy.

"This is just so not like him," Natasha said, taking a sip of lemonade from her glass.

"No, it's not, but you honestly have to trust the guy," Peggy said, slipping her sunglasses onto her face.

"He hasn't even called once since he left Thursday night," Natasha whined. "I haven't called him because I don't want to be the nosy girlfriend who has to know everything he does every single second."

"I think you have the right to call him at least _once_ a day if he doesn't call you," Jane chimed in from Natasha's right. "And if he doesn't answer, he'll call you back because this is Clint we're talking about."

Natasha sighed. "Yeah, I guess so," she said. "I'm going to call him now. If he's with Barney who knows if Clint will be sober if I were to call him later."

Natasha got up from the lounge chair and grabbed her phone from her bag. She searched through her contacts and found Clint's number. She tapped Clint's phone number on the screen and brought the phone up to her ear as she heard it begin to ring on the other end. After two rings, Clint picked up.

"Hey Nat!" he said. "I'm really sorry I haven't called. Barney and his friend have been dragging me all across the city non-stop since we got here Thursday night."

"Oh no, it's okay," she said, slightly happy. She was just glad to hear his voice again.

"So what's been going on? What have you been doing?" Clint asked.

"Oh, umm, nothing much. I'm at Thor's house right now with Peggy, Jane, and Steve."

"Sounds fun," Clint said.

"Yeah, and umm, on Monday we're going to Dorney Park. You know, just for something to do," Natasha said.

"If Barney doesn't plan on keeping me any longer than planned, I should be back by mid-afternoon on Monday," Clint said.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, excited by this new information. "When we get back from the park, I'll stop by, okay?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Clint said. "I've got to go actually. Barney's signaling for me to hurry it up but I'll see you Monday."

"Yeah, yeah, Monday. I'll see you Monday," she said dejectedly.

"Okay, I'm sorry Tasha, but I still love you," Clint said apologetically.

"Oh it's okay. I love you too," Natasha said.

They said their goodbyes and she heard his line go dead before she even had a chance to pull the phone away from her ear.

"So, what did he say?" Peggy said when Natasha reappeared.

"Barney's been dragging him around the city and he'll be back, hopefully, by mid-afternoon on Monday," Natasha sighed.

"You still don't believe him, do you?" Jane asked, not taking her eyes off of her book.

"No, I don't, but I have to trust him. I told myself I was going to stop doubting him," Natasha said.

"Then stop doubting him," Peggy said. "Clint's a great guy. Now stop fretting and let's go cool off. I can feel myself getting burnt by the second in this sun."

Natasha watched as Peggy got up and tossed her sunhat onto the lounge chair and then walked to the edge of the pool, dipping her toes into the cool water.

"Peggy's right," Jane said, snapping her book shut. "Stop doubting him, and stop stressing out about it, especially at this time in the school year. I mean, we're graduating in roughly two weeks so we have more important things to worry about."

Jane got up from her lounge chair and joined Peggy at the edge of the pool. They both had made good points. She was getting worked up over nothing and at the worst time of the year nonetheless.

She returned her phone to her bag and joined Peggy and Jane at the edge of the pool so she could forget her worries for at least a couple minutes.

* * *

The Wednesday after Memorial Day weekend was Stroudsburg High School's end-of-year Moving Up Day ceremony. Today would be the day Natasha would find out if all of that hard work she had put into those essays for scholarships had paid off. NYU was not going to come cheap. Her father made a lot more by his lonesome now than he did when he was married to Natasha's mother, but he wouldn't be able to cover Natasha's college costs all by himself. Mr. Romanoff had promised he would chip in with books and a small portion of tuition but that was about it. The rest was Natasha's problem. It didn't matter whether it was loans, scholarships, or grants. Just as long as she found some way to fund her education at NYU, Mr. Romanoff didn't care.

As the seniors marched into the football stadium and took their places in their respective seats, Natasha could spot Clint in the front row of the stands next to Natasha's father. What shocked her, however, was that her grandparents were also in attendance. Her grandparents were the last people she wanted to see today and yet, here they were.

Silence fell over the stadium as Principal Fury stepped up to the microphone to give his usual speech about another year down, another graduating class gone. It was the usual spiel, something that Natasha had heard on every Moving Up Day since her freshman year. It was never necessarily worded the same way but the same message was always conveyed.

When Principal Fury had finished his speech, he called Jane, the salutatorian, to the stage to give a speech. When they had returned to school on Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend, Principal Fury had announced the salutatorian and valedictorian on the morning announcements to the rest of the school. Though Jane had already been informed of this information, she couldn't help but blush in homeroom as her name was announced.

Jane was visibly anxious as she stepped behind the microphone. Peggy and Natasha had been constantly been giving her encouragement ever since they arrived at school that morning. They knew she could deliver the speech no matter what. Once she got up there, it would just flow perfectly.

And so it was. Jane delivered many laughs and left several students in tears as she recounted her memories from the past four years, and reassured everyone that no matter what we walk away with today – whether it was $10,000 or zero dollars – every single person is still worth something.

The entire stadium cheered on Jane as she dismounted from the stage and Principal Fury took his position behind the microphone once again. He thanked Jane for her inspiring speech and then called Bruce, the valedictorian, onto the stage. For someone who was so incredibly shy, Bruce walked up to the stage with an air of confidence and his head held high.

Bruce's speech was nothing short of inspiring. He recounted the many football games he had attended and the many friends he had made – giving a special shout out to Peggy, Jane, and Natasha because they had helped him survive his senior year. He recalled the minor details, such as when he broke that beaker glass in Selvig's second period chemistry class sophomore year and he was thoroughly embarrassed. As he rounded out his speech about his memories from high school, Bruce announced that we're not even halfway through with making memories. With that, he walked off the stage with that same air of confidence as he had when he walked up. Only this time, he was cheered on by his classmates, the staff, and the audience in the stands.

Principal Fury once again took his place at the microphone and announced that it was time to hand out the scholarships and awards. One by one, a lot of the scholarships Natasha had applied to were handed out to other students. Peggy and Jane had managed to snatch away a couple of the scholarships Natasha had applied to. However, these scholarships were only $500 or $1,000, a small amount. Generally on Moving Up Day, Principal Fury handed out the smaller scholarships and worked his way up. Five hundred dollars and $1,000 were a lot, but Natasha could deal without it. It would be the $5,000 and $10,000 scholarships Natasha had applied to that she would be devastated over.

Natasha hadn't been paying attention when her name was announced that she had won a scholarship. She had given up on thinking that she would win and she was yanked out of her thoughts when Jane had nudged her in the ribs and nodded her head towards the stage. Natasha didn't even know what scholarship it was for, but when she reached the stage, she shook Principal Fury's hand and took the folder of scholarship information back to her seat.

"Twenty five hundred dollars? Did I really just win $2,500?" Natasha muttered to herself.

"Yes, now shut up and pay attention in case you win anything else," Jane hissed, turning her attention back to Principal Fury as he continued to announce scholarship winners.

A couple scholarships later, Natasha had managed to snatch up another $2,500, and then later, $5,000. The $10,000 scholarship was normally awarded last, and to a handful of students. Funds for the $10,000 scholarship were so high that they could usually hand more than one out.

Finally, Principal Fury had reached the final scholarship: the $10,000 Grace Dreher Scholarship. Principal Fury announced that this year, ten students would be receiving the Grace Dreher Scholarship, and when their name was announced, they were to stand in front of the stage after they accept their awards.

Principal Fury began reading off the names, Peggy's name being first, followed by Bruce, and then Jane. Natasha had been counting how many students had been announced and when Principal Fury reached the ninth student, Natasha was convinced she wasn't going to get the scholarship. Finally, he announced the tenth student – Natasha Romanoff – and Natasha shot up from her seat and walked up to the stage in a haze. She accepted the folder full of scholarship details and smiled for the cameras as the photographer took pictures of the winners of the Grace Dreher Scholarship.

As they made their way back to their seats, Natasha just wanted to end Moving Up Day here. She had managed to snag $20,000 and she was practically on cloud nine. NYU was giving her a nice scholarship for her first year that would cover about a third of her tuition. Throw in what her father will be contributing and the $20,000 in scholarships she had just received, and she was probably set for her first year.

However, Moving Up Day was not over yet because the staff still had to present the department awards. Natasha watched as the top students in each department were awarded medals for their excellence. Natasha was surprised when she was awarded the department award for foreign language. She had taken up French since her freshman year, then later added German in her junior year. However, she didn't expect to be considered the top student in the foreign language department. She was barely back to her seat when she was awarded the history department award as well, the same award Clint won last year.

Natasha didn't expect to win any other awards, and she didn't, so she sat back and relaxed as she watched the rest of her classmates accept their awards. For the first time in the high school's history, the science department couldn't decide on one student to give the award to, so they awarded the science department award to both Bruce and Jane. Natasha and Peggy cheered from their seats as both Bruce and Jane went up to accept their award.

Once all of the department awards were handed out, Principal Fury announced – for the last time in Natasha's high school career – that it was time to "move up and out." The seniors filed out of their seats and gathered around the flag pole as the rest of the school moved into their respective seats. With that, Moving Up Day had come to a close.

Parents, family members, and friends flooded the football field to find their children and congratulate them on their awards and all that they had accomplished. Peggy, Jane, Natasha, and Bruce huddled together at the end of the field so that their family members could find them easily. Peggy and Jane saw their parents and flagged them down, and after that, Bruce's parents found him. However, Natasha's father, her grandparents, and Clint were nowhere to be found.

To pass the time, Natasha squeezed into some of the pictures that Peggy, Jane, and Bruce's parents wanted to take of the almost-high-school-graduates and their scholarships. After several poses and flashes later, they took a break and Natasha spotted Clint among the masses. She waved at him and he pushed his way through the crowd with Mr. Romanoff and Natasha's grandparents in tow.

"Where were you?" Natasha asked after Clint had given her a quick peck on the lips.

"Oh, your grandparents got to talking," Clint said.

"Who were they talking to? They know absolutely no one here," Natasha said.

"You know how old people are," Clint said and Natasha snorted a laugh in response.

When Natasha's father and grandparents approached them, Natasha noticed that something was off about her father. He looked extremely pale, like he had seen a ghost or something, and his eyes were slightly rimmed red.

"Everything okay, Dad?" Natasha asked when she caught sight of her father.

"Yeah, I'm just…I'm really proud of you," Mr. Romanoff said.

"Okay," Natasha said, nodding but skeptically. "Can you at least keep it together until we get home?"

Mr. Romanoff nodded and waved his parents forward.

"Nana, Pop Pop, what are you doing here?" Natasha asked skeptically.

"Are we not allowed at school events?" Natasha's grandmother asked.

"Well, it's not that but…I mean, you never took a liking before," Natasha said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh, well, Mr. Barton invited us. He figured it was about time we took a part in your life," Natasha's grandfather said.

"Haven't you already taken a part in my life by trying to pawn me off to so many men when I was younger?" Natasha said coldly, ignoring the comment about Clint inviting them.

"Oh, so bitter Natasha. Besides, you have Clint now and that's all that matters," Natasha's grandmother retorted.

"Umm, yeah, sure," Natasha said, not quite sure how to reply.

"Well, we better get going. We've got quite a journey ahead of us," Natasha's grandfather announced and Natasha's grandmother stepped forward and enveloped Natasha in a hug. Natasha was caught off guard. She had received hugs from her grandmother before but not one that was loving and caring like this one. Natasha's grandfather gave her a hug as well and then clapped Clint on the shoulder as he passed by him. Mr. Romanoff told Natasha that he would meet her at home and he followed his parents through the crowd. Natasha watched as they disappeared into the sea of people before saying anything.

"Okay, what the hell was that all about?" Natasha breathed, turning to Clint.

"Who knows. They're old. They're bat shit crazy," Clint said and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Don't think I didn't notice that comment they made about you inviting them here," Natasha said.

"Oh come on Nat, they're actually not that bad," Clint whined.

Natasha's jaw nearly dropped. "Okay, did you _really_ just say that?"

"Yes, I did. Now can we go? I kind of want ice cream. Okay, not kind of. I _really_ want ice cream."

"Nineteen years old and a year of college under your belt and you still act like a five-year-old," Natasha said, shaking her head. Clint wrapped an arm around her and led her through the crowd so that they could make their way out of the parking lot and get Clint some of his beloved ice cream.

* * *

**Clint, Clint, Clint, what are you doing? By the way, his "plan" will be revealed in the chapter at graduation. Which yes, sadly, there are only going to be two more chapters. The next chapter, which is graduation, and then I'm going to write an epilogue. And I'm sort of going to take my time writing the next chapter. I really want to write some nice speeches for Bruce and Jane as valedictorian and salutatorian. I graduated neither valedictorian or salutatorian (I don't think I was anywhere close haha) but I think everyone always wants to write their own graduation speech so I'm really going to put some thought into Bruce and Jane's speeches. If that's okay with you guys haha.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Let me know if you're just as suspicious of Clint as Natasha is, and give me your thoughts on what his plan may be!**


	34. We Are Young

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song lyrics to "Amazing." They belong to Aerosmith**. **I also do not own _Where the Wild Things A__re._ It belongs to Maurice Sendak (may he rest in peace).  
**

**Also, when it says that "We Are Young" by Fun. starts playing after graduation, fire up your iPods or YouTube and listen to it from there to the end of this chapter. This isn't a choice, it's an order. You need to have the full effect haha.**

**Now, without further ado, here is the penultimate chapter of _Fix You_, chapter 34!**

* * *

Natasha awoke on the morning of graduation curled up next to Clint in her bed. Today, she would be graduating high school. Today, she would be finding out Clint's "plan" and why he's been acting so strange for the past several months. Today would be the first day of the rest of her life.

The past week had been stress-free for Natasha. She had managed to pull A's in all of her classes, therefore exempting her from her final exams. Aside from graduation practice, she had nothing to do during the day to bide her time. Clint had ceased his strange behavior ever since Moving Up Day so when they hung out in the days leading up to graduation, it felt like everything was the way it used to be.

"Hey," Natasha heard Clint mumble. She craned her neck so that she was looking up at Clint, and she was greeted with a small smile.

"So, you're graduating today," Clint said.

"Indeed I am," she said.

Clint chuckled and kissed the top of her head as she repositioned it to rest on his chest. Natasha looked around her room, the four walls she had been so accustomed to since kindergarten. In August, she would be leaving everything behind. Sure she would come back and visit during breaks and some weekends, but it wouldn't be her home anymore.

"Probably should get up," Clint said. "It's almost noon."

Clint gently pushed her off of him and then rolled out of bed. She propped herself up on her elbow and watched as he stretched. She had managed to convince him to sleep without a shirt on last night, so she watched the muscles in his back contort as he stretched his arms above his head.

"Are you finally going to tell me what your 'plan' is? You did promise you'd tell me today," Natasha said.

"I said I would tell you after graduation," Clint said. "I can't have you getting distracted before and during the ceremony."

"Seriously Clint, if you don't tell me, that's going to distract me even more," Natasha whined, falling back onto the pillows with a sigh. Clint climbed back onto the bed and leaned down to kiss Natasha on the lips.

"Trust me on this," Clint breathed, and then walked out of the room.

Natasha groaned. _For fuck's sake Clint_, she thought. _Stop doing this to me._

* * *

Four o'clock rolled around and Natasha started to get ready for graduation. She couldn't control the butterflies in her stomach, and at the time, it had more to do with the fact that she would be graduating in a few hours than the big reveal of Clint's "plan." She wondered how Clint had been so calm last year when he graduated because she couldn't exactly control her hand from shaking as she tried to apply a small amount of mascara.

After she had her makeup applied and her hair curled, she slipped into her dress – a simple black shift dress – and then pulled on her black sandals. She grabbed her phone, car keys, driver's license, and cap and gown, and followed Clint out her front door. He opened the driver's side door of Natasha's car, slipped in a quick kiss, and then told her he'd meet her on the field after graduation.

As she was driving to graduation, the nerves had really started to kick in. This would be the last time she would set foot in Stroudsburg High School. This would be the last time she would set foot in Ross Stulgaitis Stadium.

When she reached the high school, she parked her car next to Peggy's when she spotted it and headed into the auditorium to join the rest of her classmates. Stepping into the auditorium was pure chaos. Natasha's classmates were taking pictures and hugging one another. The girl's were dressed in their white gowns, while the boys toyed with their maroon ones. Caps were being thrown into the air already, and squeals of excitement echoed throughout the vast room every so often.

"Natasha!" Natasha heard Peggy's voice. Natasha turned around and saw Peggy, Jane, and Bruce – already clad in their cap and gowns – and looking extremely excited.

"Hey!" Natasha exclaimed when she joined them and was enveloped into a group hug.

"Can you believe this?" Peggy said. "We're graduating!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it," Natasha said, a little more excited than expected.

At that moment, Principal Fury walked onto the auditorium stage to call the soon-to-be graduates to order. The auditorium fell silent – mostly because no one ever dared to talk over Principal Fury – and Principal Fury began to give instructions on getting the students in order.

Row by row, the students were called to the front of the auditorium to get in line for the graduation march into the stadium. Natasha would be stuck towards the back of the line with the R's while Peggy, Jane, and Bruce would be closer to the front. When all the students were in order, they were told to put on their caps and gowns if they hadn't done so already, and then they marched out of the high school and up to the stadium.

As they got closer to the stadium, Natasha could hear the buzz of voices coming from the stands. The closer they got, the more nervous Natasha seemed to be. Her heart was racing; she wasn't quite ready to leave this all behind. Before she knew it, "Pomp and Circumstance" kicked in and the line lurched forward as the students began to march into the stadium. The spectators cheered as the students made their way into the stadium and filled the seats. Natasha scanned the crowd for her father and Clint but she knew that she wouldn't be able to find them in the sea of people. Once all of the students were seated and the music had ceased, Principal Fury stepped up onto the stage and cleared his throat.

"Good evening, parents, staff, and students," Principal Fury boomed. "Another year, another graduating class come and gone and it is an honor to be standing in front of such accomplished young men and women. Tonight, is the night they will end one chapter in their lives and begin another. I just hope that they will make the most of it. Join me in applauding their accomplishments."

The spectators joined in a round of applause with Principal Fury and the rest of the faculty that were seated on stage.

"Alright, now is the time for our first student speech," Principal Fury announced. He called the class president on stage and Natasha immediately tuned her out. As rude as it seemed, she didn't care much about what she had to say, and she was really eager to hear what Jane and Bruce had to say. Every so often she heard the usual junk about making memories and ending the high school journey together, and Natasha rolled her eyes. When the class president was finished with her speech, Natasha was relieved and watched as Principal Fury stepped back up to the microphone and called Jane up to the stage.

A huge round of applause echoed throughout the stadium as Jane made her way to the stage. She shook Principal Fury's hand, and then placed her papers onto the podium, arranging them in the order that she needed them. Before starting, she took a deep breath and then smiled at her audience.

"Steven Tyler once sang 'Life's a journey, not a destination, and I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings' and there's nothing that couldn't be more accurate for any graduating class. Life is full of many destinations, but as a whole, it's a journey.

"Today, we reached one destination: graduation. For the majority of our lives so far, we've been trying to reach this one specific destination. There have been obstacles and people who have been so rude enough to get in our way, but we have worked hard and persevered to get to where we are today.

"But no one really knows what tomorrow brings. We have a general idea. We'll get up, eat breakfast, maybe hang out with some friends or go to work, and then later, go to bed to do it all over again. But that isn't always the case. Something almost always gets in the way. Each day is a journey in itself.

"I can't tell you what tomorrow may bring. I can't even tell you what's in store for us once we walk out of this stadium. However, I can tell you that some of us will join the work force. Some of us will join the army, the navy, the air force, or the marines. But mostly, a lot of us will be heading off to big things at different colleges and universities across the country.

"None of us know what it will be like. It's going to be something completely new to all of us. We're going to be meeting new people, having new experiences, and most important of all, we're not going to have our parents around to do our laundry.

"But what we don't know is if we'll like it. Many of us think we're ready for it, but there's no way to really prepare yourself for being on your own, seeing as none of us have done it before. We've always had our parents around to pick us up from slumber parties if we got homesick. We've had our best friends to share all of our deepest and darkest secrets to. Now, we have to adapt to a whole new surrounding and a group of complete strangers.

"However, the most important thing to remember is that no matter where we go, we will reach our destinations. We will graduate from college. We will get that job at that law firm that we so desperately wanted. We will get married. We will have children. And we will live happily ever after. There will be obstacles that we will have to face, there's no doubt about that, but we can beat them. We've already beat 18 years worth of them, so what's another 60 or 70 going to hurt?

"So Steven Tyler is right. Life _is_ a journey, not a destination. And he's right that there's no telling what tomorrow will bring. But whatever it is, we will conquer it, we will persevere, and we will prevail, just like we are going to do tonight."

Jane finished her speech and took a step back from the podium as the crowd – parents, faculty, and her classmates – erupted in cheers. Jane shook Principal Fury's hand again as she passed by him and stepped down the stage steps with a smile plastered on her face.

"Thank you Miss Foster," Principal Fury said, clearing his throat. "And now, without further ado, I would like to welcome to the stage, your valedictorian, Mr. Bruce Banner."

Cheers erupted from the stadium – mostly from the soon-to-be graduates – as Bruce made his way up to the stage with his speech in one hand and a book in another. He shook Principal Fury's hand and then took his place behind the podium.

"Before I really start my speech," Bruce announced. "I want to read you one of my favorite children's books. It won't be long, and I'm sure many of you have heard this story before, but I promise there's a purpose to it."

Bruce arranged his materials on the podium so that his speech was lying underneath the book. He cracked open the book so that he was on the first page.

"Like I said," Bruce said, "this is one of my favorite children's books and I'm sure a lot of you have heard this story before so I don't think there's any need for an introduction."

Bruce cleared his throat and then began.

"_The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him "WILD THING!" and Max said "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" so he was sent to bed without anything to eat._

"_That very night in Max's room a forest grew and grew – and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost a year over to where the wild things are._

"_And when he came to the place where the wild things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws till Max said "BE STILL!" and tamed them with the magic trick of staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once and they were frightened and called him the most wild thing of all and made him king of all wild things. 'And now!,' cried Max, 'let the wild rumpus start!'_

"'_Now stop!' Max said and sent the wild things off to bed without their supper. And Max the king of all the wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all. Then all around from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat so he gave up being king of where the wild things are._

"_But the wild things cried, 'Oh please don't go – we'll eat you up – we love you so!' And Max said 'No!' The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye and sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him and it was still hot."_

Bruce closed the book and the stadium stayed silent because they knew he wasn't done quite yet.

"So here's the deal," Bruce said. "All of us, after tonight, are sailing off to where the wild things are. We're going into the work force. We're going into the military. We're going off to college. We're going to face the wild things. And let's face the facts; we have to conquer the wild things by ourselves. Our parents are sending us off without any dinner and we have the sail off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost a year over to where the wild things are.

"However, we have to remember that through the wild rumpus, we always have a home to come back to here in Stroudsburg. Even if the wild things make us lonely and make us feel like we want to be where someone loves us best of all, we can always come home.

"So we can sail back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of our very own rooms where we can find supper still waiting for us. And it will still be hot."

Bruce thanked his audience – who cheered him on – as he gathered up his papers and his book, and shook Principal Fury's hand as he stepped off stage with his head held high.

"Thank you Mr. Banner," Principal Fury said. "And now, it is time. Are you ready to graduate?"

The soon-to-be graduates roared with excitement and the first row of boys and girls made their way to the stage to receive their diplomas. One by one, a row of boys and girls would rise and make their way to the stage while Principal Fury would simultaneously hand out diplomas to the students waiting patiently.

When it came time for Natasha's row to walk up to the stage, she rose from her seat with the rest of her classmates and they made their way up to the stage in single file. She listened as the girls' names in front of her were called and she moved closer to the steps until they were directly in front of her.

"Natasha Romanoff," Principal Fury's voice boomed throughout the stadium and she mounted the steps and made her way up the stage. If people were cheering for her, she didn't notice because she was too focused on shaking Principal Fury's hand and taking her diploma from him. She walked down the stage steps – giving both Jane and Bruce hugs, who outlined a path for the graduates – and made her way back to her seat. She was glad that she was near the end of the alphabet because having a last name beginning with an A must have been complete agonizing. She reached her seat and sat there in a haze as Principal Fury continued to hand out the rest of the diplomas.

When the last student received their diploma, Principal Fury waited for them to reach their seat before making the announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Class of 2012!"

Chaos erupted from the stadium as confetti, silly string, and graduation caps flew through the air. Their class song, "We Are Young" by Fun, blared through the stadium's ancient stereo system. Natasha pushed through the crowd to find Peggy, Jane, and Bruce and enveloped them into a group hug.

"Oh my God, to tell you the truth, I never thought I'd say this but I'm going to miss you guys," Natasha said.

"Oh don't be so stubborn Natasha. You love us!" Peggy said.

"Indeed I do," she said, trying to choke back tears. Peggy pulled them all closer together as their former classmates continued to celebrate around them. When they pulled apart, they spotted their parents making their way to the field on the other side of the fence. They waved at them to show them where they were and waited patiently for them to join them.

Natasha saw Clint before she saw her father, and her heart started to race. He could finally tell her his plan, and it made her so excited and nervous at the same time. When he approached her, he pulled a piece of silly string out of her hair and then leaned down to kiss her.

"_Now_ will you share your 'plan' with me?" she asked impatiently.

Clint chuckled. "Okay fine, fine. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt seeing as you have graduated and I did promise to tell you after you graduated. Hold out your hand."

Clint reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a silver key and placed it in Natasha's palm.

"_This_ is the key to our townhouse in The Village," Clint announced.

"_Our_ townhouse? Clint, you go to Penn State. Do you seriously expect me to live there alone and wait for you to come there on weekends? And how the hell can we afford it? We're in college Clint!" Natasha exclaimed.

"First, why do you think I've been so buddy-buddy with your grandparents? They paid for it, and will be paying for it. Memorial Day weekend, we were actually signing the papers for it. And many times before – including the time I told you I was in Pittsburgh when I really wasn't, and I'm sorry I lied to you – we were searching throughout Greenwich Village for the right place, and this place is it."

"Okay, but you go to Penn State Clint - ," Natasha but Clint interrupted her by reaching to the back pocket of his jeans and handing her a piece of paper. She took it but hesitated to open it.

"Open it," Clint ordered and Natasha's fingers fumbled to unfold the paper. She read down the page, a letter from NYU addressed to Clint.

_Dear Mr. Barton_, it read. _Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to New York University._

"Y-you're…you're going…you're going to NYU?" she asked, stunned. Clint nodded in response. It took a moment for Natasha to collect her thoughts, and when she did, she punched Clint in the arm.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"I told you not to throw away your life at Penn State for me!" she screamed. "What did I say to you? Don't do that! Take it back! Take it back! You're going to Penn State in the fall and that's final!"

"Well, it's too late Tasha," Clint said, rubbing the spot on his arm where Natasha had punched him. "The transcripts have been sent. The deposits are in, and I've even scheduled my classes. I'm going to NYU with you in the fall."

"But I told you not to throw away your life for me," Natasha whined.

"I'm not throwing away my life for you. I'm trying to make a life _with _you," Clint said.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Natasha said angrily.

That's when Clint reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt and pulled out a small blue box – a Tiffany's box.

"Clint, what is that? What are you doing?" she asked nervously. Her eyes were wide with shock as Clint got down on one knee. She dropped her cap and diploma on the ground as she brought her hands up to her mouth to cover it in shock.

"Natasha Alianovna Romanoff," Clint said, "I've known you since I was six-years-old, and to tell you the truth, I fell in love with you that day on the playground. It's always been there, and it's always been you, and I want it to continue to be you."

That's when Clint pulled open the blue box to reveal an all silver ring with a simple diamond perched atop the band. Natasha realized that this was the exact same engagement ring she had always stared at when she would go into Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue. She never thought it would be hers. She never thought it would be right in front of her. She never thought Clint would be giving it to her. And most importantly, she never thought Clint would be asking her to marry him.

"They…they told you," Natasha said, trying to choke back tears. "My grandparents told you which one was my favorite ring."

Clint nodded in response.

"Clint, you can't afford this. I can't accept it. I would love to marry you, but I can't accept the ring. It's too expensive."

"You _can_, Tasha," Clint said. "Yes, your grandparents bought it and somehow they got it at a strange discounted price, but I will be paying them back every penny. I am taking on this debt on top of my student loans just for you. Please Nat, just take it."

Natasha hesitated. "You were asking my dad. That day, Moving Up Day. You were asking him if you could marry me. That's why he was close to crying," Natasha stated.

"Yes Nat," Clint said.

Natasha was silent for what felt like an eternity. Clint was still on the ground on one knee with the ring box still open.

"Natasha," he breathed. "It's not like it's a blood diamond or something. At least, as far I know it's not. Your grandparents bought it so we can be together. They like me enough to do this for me. For you and I. And seriously, you can't say no after all I did for us."

Natasha rolled her eyes and giggled. She stood there looking into Clint's blue-grey eyes and realized that she had to say it.

"For God's sake, just say yes already!" Natasha heard Peggy's voice from off to the side. She turned her head and saw Peggy, Steve, Thor, and Jane, as well as Mr. Romanoff and all of her friends' parents watching in suspense. Natasha rolled her eyes again and then turned her attention back to Clint. She drew in a deep breath and then released it.

"Clint Francis Barton…" she trailed off. "I…Yes, I will marry you."

"Yes?" Clint asked in surprise.

"Yes. I said yes you idiot."

Clint jumped up from the ground – pulling the ring out of the box – and slipping it onto her ring finger before crushing his lips against hers. This kiss had more meaning. It was the first kiss of many more kisses. It was the first kiss of the rest of their lives.

* * *

**Oh boy, isn't that quite a plan? Clint, you hopeless romantic! Shout out to guest reviewer "beccabearlove" for actually guessing the holy trifecta of Clint's plan. Damn, I can't fool you guys can I? Oh well, I tried! haha.**

**There's only one more chapter, the epilogue. I'll say all my thank yous after the epilogue because it's 2:00 in the morning here and I have to be to work at 8 so I don't have time to do the thanks yous now haha.**

**As always, thank you for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. Review away please! I have a long shift at work tomorrow and Saturdays are always slow so if you put two and two together, you get the point. I'll need some reading material while I'm sitting at work bored. Tell if you guys are still alive, and let me know what you think of Clint's big reveal of his "plan." Oh and let me know what you thought of Jane and Bruce's speeches. I worked (somewhat) hard on them haha.**


	35. Epilogue

**Alright here it is, the final chapter to _Fix You_! I originally had a different plan for the epilogue but I felt like you guys deserved something different and so this is the outcome. So, take a deep breath, and here it is, chapter 35, the epilogue.**

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A lot can happen in one year and for Natasha and Clint, this statement was anything but less than true. Classes at NYU were extremely difficult and had Natasha and Clint coming and going at different times of the day. Countless fights often took place, and sometimes they ended with Natasha running out of the townhouse they lived in and walking around the neighborhood alone at two in the morning. Clint would always fix it. He would run after her to apologize and carry her back home in his arms.

They always made time for each other; Clint always promised it. Every once in a while, Natasha would come home to a trail of rose petals leading up the stairs to their bedroom. Clint was almost always standing at the end of the trail with the last rose perfectly intact to give to her. He would hand it off and kiss her, getting more aggressive until their bodies connected with the bed.

Early in the spring semester, Natasha and Clint had their first – and hopefully last – pregnancy scare. Natasha thought she was late because she was just stressed out because of the pile of work that had been assigned within the first few weeks. She was still on birth control but sometimes when she was stressed, she would be late, but she was never this late before due to stress. On her way home from class one day, she stopped by the drug store to buy a pregnancy test and sprinted the remaining distance home. She didn't want to tell Clint. Only if it came out positive would she tell him.

Unfortunately, when she returned home, Clint was there, sitting on the living room floor with his European History notes scattered across the floor. When he caught sight of the panicked look on her face, he immediately got up from the floor and approached her, asking her what was wrong. It took a lot of persuasion from Clint but Natasha eventually told him about her dilemma, and then swiftly left the living room to head upstairs.

Clint followed her, and she headed straight for the bathroom, where she tore open the box to the pregnancy test and slammed the door in Clint's face so she could have some privacy. When she reopened the door, she had already taken the test and the only thing they needed to do was wait. She crossed the room to sit on the edge of their bed, and Clint followed suit. After a couple minutes, the test turned out to be negative, and both Natasha and Clint let out a sigh of relief. Though they were engaged, the last thing they wanted to do at the moment was raise a child. They were in college, and they had worked so hard to get where they were. They didn't want to ruin it.

However, the pregnancy scare had been an eye-opener for Clint and Natasha, and as they lay in bed later that night, they started to talk about planning the wedding. When Clint proposed to Natasha, he never officially said when he wanted to marry her. As long as he married her, he didn't care how long their engagement was. They could wait until they finished college. They could have gotten married the day after her graduation. But they never talked about it until the pregnancy scare.

They started to toss around ideas. Where would it be? How many people would they invite? And most importantly, how much would it cost? Despite Natasha's grandparents paying for the townhouse's finances, Natasha and Clint had to pay for groceries and other living expenses themselves.

Both Clint and Natasha took up on-campus jobs. With their salary, they couldn't really afford an extravagant wedding, but Clint wanted it to be perfect. Therefore, he consulted in Natasha's grandparents, once again, to aid in financing the wedding. He knew they had to hate him by now since they paid for Natasha's ring and the townhouse, but it was worth a shot. If they obliged, he would promise to pay them back every cent – along with the money he was indebted to them for the ring and the townhouse – it cost to pay for the wedding. The conversation was an uncomfortable one, but shockingly, Natasha's grandparents offered to pay for the entire wedding without Clint having to repay them in the future.

From that point on, Clint and Natasha spent at least an hour each day planning the wedding. There were so many things to be considered: the location, the flowers, the guests, the tuxedoes, and most importantly, the wedding dress. Natasha spent her time during her on-campus job searching the internet for affordable dresses, but to no avail.

About three months before the wedding, Natasha's grandparents sent her a large package much like the one she received that contained her prom dress. She had an inkling what the box contained, so she shooed Clint out of the room so she could have some privacy. She slid off the lid and tore away the tissue paper to reveal a sleeveless off-white lace gown. She ran her fingers over the expensive material, and then quickly boxed it back up and hid it in the closet.

As the semester started winding down, Clint and Natasha were busier than ever with planning the wedding, writing papers, and studying for finals. Natasha was out like a light by 11:00 each night after waking up at nearly six a.m. each day. Clint had bunkered down in the office on the third floor of their townhouse, mapping out a timeline of Europe's history. By the time finals week was over, the stress was only going to build up even more with the wedding quickly approaching.

With only one week to go, Clint was dragged to a surprise bachelor party that Tony Stark decided to throw for him. Leave it to Tony Stark to hire six strippers – one for Clint, Steve, Thor, and Bruce, and two for Tony – but also keep it classy. Natasha was not pleased to hear about Clint's bachelor party, but she knew that with Tony Stark behind it, it was inevitable.

When it came to her own bachelorette party, she kept it simple. Natasha, Peggy, Jane, Maria, and Pepper went to a bar that thankfully didn't card minors and got wasted. Maria hooked up with some random guy. Pepper drunk dialed Tony constantly, and Peggy and Jane made out with each other. However, Natasha – despite being drunk off her ass – still managed to have some kind of common sense to not do anything stupid.

The night before the wedding, Clint parted with Natasha and stayed in a suite at The Plaza while he let Natasha stay in the townhouse. He wrapped his arms around her so that it would hold him over until the wedding the next day.

"I'll meet you at the altar," he whispered in her ear and then bounded down the steps and slid into the taxi that was waiting for him.

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In the middle of Central Park, family and friends gathered in the early afternoon sun to celebrate Clint and Natasha's wedding. White chairs were set up for the guests and white roses and ribbons lined the aisle. Clint, along with Steve and Thor, stood at the end of the aisle awaiting Natasha's arrival. They watched as Peggy and Jane marched down the aisle in their light blue dresses and lined up at the opposite end of the altar.

That's when the wedding march started to echo down the aisle and Clint immediately fixed his eyes at the other end. Standing at the other end was Natasha in her off-white sleeveless custom-made lace gown. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with white flowers pinned into her hair. Her lips were full and red and she had a small smile on her face.

As she glided down the aisle on her father's arm, Clint couldn't take his eyes off of her. Everything about her just made Clint's heart stop. The way the dress hugged her body. Her full red lips. The flowers that were pinned in her hair. Her sparkling green eyes. He was so caught up in how she looked that he didn't even realize that she had reached the altar.

Natasha smiled at him as he took her hand and led her up the steps to stand beside him. Clint wasn't paying attention to the minister when he began his spiel about gathering for the wedding, and several times he had to be asked to focus, to which Natasha would giggle in response to Clint's silly behavior.

"At this time," the minister said. "Natasha would like to say a few words to Clint."

Natasha turned to Clint to find his eyes wide with shock. He wasn't expecting it. She knew that, and that's why it was perfect.

"Clint," she breathed. "First off, focus. You look like you're going to pass out."

"I'm not going to pass out," he exclaimed.

"Sure, whatever you say," she said with a giggle. "But Clint, there's so much I should have said to you after all these years. Thank you for saving me from those playground bullies when I was in kindergarten. Thank you for those hair ties that you so kindly got for me for the Secret Santa gift exchange. Thank you for that extremely lame but incredibly adorable valentine. Thank you for that almost first kiss after Cupid's Ball. Thank you for leaving your eighth grade formal dance to spend time with me instead.

"Thank you for our first kiss. Thank you for that day at Coney Island. Thank you for making a mess out of the first time you met my parents. Thank you for that special performance on my sixteenth birthday. Thank you for taking care of me when I've been sick, and thank you for giving me a damn heart attack the day of the custody hearing.

"Thank you for being my best friend, my boyfriend, my fiancé, and, in advance, thank you for being my husband. But most importantly, thank you for fixing me."

Clint looked at her with confusion splashed across his face, but she continued.

"I never shared anything with anyone before I met you. My family was broken, and obviously there was no way to fix it, but then you came along and changed everything. You made things easy, and you're the only person who knows everything about me. I can't hide any sort of emotion from you because you just know me too well.

"I just want you to know how much you've changed me, and how much you mean to me. I've made mistakes and I'm sorry, and I hope you know that, but I love you and I always will."

Clint was silent for a couple seconds and then he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"I…I, umm," he stammered.

"You don't have to say anything," she said. "Let's just…let's just get married okay?"

Clint smiled and nodded, and they turned their attention back to the minister who continued with the ceremony. Neither Clint nor Natasha had ever been religious in their lives, so they opted for just a simple ceremony to make their union official.

"Do you, Natasha Romanoff, take Clint Barton, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the minister asked.

Natasha cracked a small smile. "I do," she said, and slipped the silver wedding band onto Clint's ring finger.

"And do you, Clint Barton, take Natasha Romanoff, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Clint nodded with his eyes locked on Natasha's. "I do," he said, and then slipped the new diamond ring he had gotten – from Tiffany's of course – onto her ring finger.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Natasha grinned from ear to ear and tried biting her lip to keep it from spreading even further, but Clint smashed his lips up against hers and it felt absolutely perfect. When Clint broke away, Natasha leaned in for more but Clint chuckled.

"We have the rest of our lives for that," Clint said just loud enough for Natasha to hear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Barton!" the minister announced and Natasha and Clint turned to face their guests. Natasha felt Clint's hand creep down to hers, lacing his fingers through hers. It's where it belonged, and both of them knew now that they would never let go.

_The End_

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**And there you have it! The final chapter of **_**Fix You**_**. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read this fic, added it to their favorites, signed up for alerts, and so on. I also want to give a shout out to everyone who has reviewed this story at one point or another. So thank you to: forget-your-woes, Waterlilies, MegalegU, XxDarkStarrxX, Tahiri Veila Solo, BadeFTWShipper, Alaee301, yolynnjones, Mushroomking98, Abigail Fredericks, Mrs Billy Pratt, Melody Kye, the last clarissa, somuchforu, Tatiana20, lovergirl2017, Myriad-13, crystalbladedragon, wibbelkind, GranuailesDance1057, BoudicaFlamespirit, PitOfDespair, mrsdarcy94, trinigyal, Danger Rachel, writingwhimseys, tarpeach1981, LizzyCullen7, Who Says It's A Rebellion, psychmaster, Emilia Rachana Cooper, shaneequa, PaigeD6, Jedi Kay-Kenobi, cosmicgirl286, Mistress Serah, mellbell12123, NinjaInAnImaginaryLondon, wickedRENThead1783, xxBeautiful Redemptionxx, VampireAngelRanger, Slushies And Red Vines, Ariadne915, SPG147, Fearlesswriter6, BeccaRomano, Magical Faerie, Abbie Brown, Peace and Blessings, LittleMissMia123, friendsrox12, WFTHLC, FinallyFallingAllOverAgain, OB ob OB ob OB, Lightly-the-fockal123, flarey phoenix, Leo-firefly, It'sMyFavoriteSong, Rue Mo, eat-sleep-swim-repeat, AngelVamp6688, applecoral, PatryTrusky, Narutorockerz, RockSolid, KungFuHime2009, California-Italian, FujiwaraMiwa, soccerkeeper6, blackenedheart231, Smilingeyesandpixiedust, CharlieMichelle, AvengerGal, zcrewman, HushLittleSleipnir, imbetterthanyou238, missnevada, TheLastRider, wolfie1025, strangervision, Shojo-Chan, fanficnerd700, SlyLittleLuna1234, Lcelinaoc, Happy Pineapple, ZeDancingHobbit, GangsterGirl-Crush, Roses Near Rivers, cullenforevah, Gray95, and Sandpiper01. Also, thank you to all the guest reviews! If I missed anyone, I'm sorry and I thank you so much for all the feedback and your thoughts throughout this entire fic. Thank you everyone who stuck through 35 chapters worth of drama, romance, and humor and I appreciate it so much.**

**Also, I have some ideas for two Clintasha stories. The first involves the whole idea of Clint losing his hearing so I might take a crack at that. The second one will be (most likely) another AU. It will be based on one of my favorite films called **_**Love Me If You Dare**_** (**_**Jeux D'Enfants**_** in French). It stars Marion Cotillard (**_**Nine**_**, **_**Inception**_**, **_**The Dark Knight Rises**_**) and Guillaume Canet who play a game in which one dares the other to do something crazy and the other has to do it. Google it, YouTube some videos, and all that junk. If you guys want to know more about **_**Love Me If You Dare**_**, inbox me and I can hook you up with a link to the movie. It is a French film so it will have subtitles, but it is truly a fantastic film. I swear, the characters remind me so much of Clint and Natasha that I feel like I need to do a fic based on **_**Love Me If You Dare**_** for Clint and Natasha. Please let me know what you think of these ideas!**

**As for a possible sequel for this fic, maybe I'll do some "one shot sequels," if there is such a thing? Just some one shots on Clint and Natasha from this story. If you'd like to read some random drabbles about Clint and Natasha post-**_**Fix You**_**, let me know. **

**Okay, phew! Please review the epilogue and let me know what you guys think of my ideas. Once again, thank you so much for taking this journey with me and I love all of you! Thank you so, so, so much!**


	36. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

Hello again everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I have started the one-shot sequels for _Fix You_ and the first one has been posted. I will post all one-shot sequels in the collection titled _Never Let Me Go_. Not everyone is signed up for author alerts so I figured I should post an update here for those of you that were signed up for alerts for _Fix You_.

The one-shot sequels will just basically be random drabbles about married life, college life, and "the real world" in general for Clint and Natasha.

Thank you all for being so dedicated to this story as much as I was and I hope you guys are ready for more adventures with Clint, Natasha, and their friends and family. Thanks so much, and I hope you enjoy!


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